Murder on the Hogwarts Express
by wotterforever
Summary: On its way from Platform 9 & 3/4 of King's Cross Station to the outskirts of the Village of Hogsmeade on a fateful September first, the Hogwarts Express serves as the scene of a horrific murder. Compelled by the need to protect her friend, Robin Wright combines forces with people she would much rather avoid, to solve the mystery behind the murder.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Some of you might remember seeing this story on the official Harry Potter fanfiction website, where I have published it under the username of wottercrazy7. Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling, queen of the Harry Potter universe. Anything you don't belongs to humble old me.**

_"So wise so young, they say, do never live long"_

_\- King Richard III (Act III, Scene I)._

Robin

"Robin, hurry up! I cannot stand another moment of Rose's holier-than-thou attitude".

As Dominique called out to me from the carriage door I turned towards her, glad for a reason to move away from my cousin, Charles, and his girlfriend, Mary (and also, a little amused at seeing Rose glare at Dom's back like she would prefer nothing more than to stab it with her sharpest eagle-feather quill).

I was quite happy for Charles, but if I had to be quite honest, the blatant affection he and Mary were showing by constantly grinning at each other like fools seemed overly-done to me, and was beginning to grate on my nerves.

The thought did cross my mind that it was perhaps my own singlehood that was to blame for my suspicion and sour disposition towards them - after all, I had thought the same thing not two minutes ago when I saw Maria and William swapping saliva on the platform in plain sight - but in my current state of denial I chose to blame my annoyance on the disgusting, tooth-rotting sweetness of the display in front of me.

"I suppose I will see you two soon enough" I plastered my best rendition of a fake smile on my face as I waved goodbye to the couple in front of me "But I really must go and change my robes now, or all the washrooms will be taken up".

The relief at getting away was palpable. I really could not understand why others' love lives were bothering me so much lately, although Dom and Noah's relationship did not trouble me in the least. Perhaps it was simply the overly-saccharine displays of emotion that were getting to me, and it was not hard to guess why.

I allowed a frown to momentarily take over my countenance. A reminder of Isaac, his emotional manipulation interspersed with corny compliments, my naivety, and the betrayal and humiliation of being cheated upon was not a pleasant thought to begin my seventh and final year at Hogwarts with. Instead, I diverted my attention to thinking about all the wonderful and varied topics I would have the liberty to write on for the school paper, _A Witching_, regarding which I had a free reign over all executive decisions as the editor-in-chief this year. After all, there is nothing quite like work to fill the big, gaping void in one's heart.

Dom was waiting for me on the steps of the carriage, pointedly looking away from her cousin. The two were constantly at loggerheads because Dom was convinced that Rose was good for nothing except giving unwanted sermons and being a stick-in-the-mud of the most generic variety, while Rose, as she had openly (and unpromptedly) stated on several occasions, thought that Dom was "irreverent, spoilt rotten, and undeserving of appreciation". Needless to say, the two had animosity that was not going to disappear overnight.

"Come on" I gestured towards the compartments as we entered the carriage "Let's fetch our robes and change before the washrooms get occupied by all those fifth-years attempting to slather on face paint or hair gel to impress each other".

Dom smirked, "You do remember that we were once one of those fifth-years, and did the exact same things?".

"I do, and I don't begrudge them the abundant joys of crashing into pillars as a result of poking themselves blind with mascara sticks - those were some of the best times of our youth" I spoke, my mouth twisting sardonically.

She laughed "Do you mean to imply we are old now? I mean, you perhaps come across as an old, bitter maid, but I am still quite young and hot".

"Don't I know it" I chuckled as a young attendant walking past Dom stared at her, tripped over himself, and sent his cart crashing into Rose. My best friend was beside herself with barely-contained glee as she watched Rose mutter angrily.

"And besides, I may be well on my way to becoming an old and bitter maid, but I shall own it. I will buy twenty-two cats - grumpy and with sharp claws - have a lawn with untrimmed hedges and ugly gnomes, a hard, mahogany walking stick, and a cackle that I will perfect by practicing in front of the mirror every day".

"And scream at young couples making out around the neighborhood?"

"Of course - how could I forget that?"

"Sounds like a plan" Dom answered casually as we entered the compartment we had previously placed all our baggage in before going out to wish our families farewell. Noah looked up (he had either not left at all, or had come back much earlier than us - it was hard to tell) to see who had dared to disturb his solitude, but seeing that it was just us, nodded at Dom and me before returning to reading the newest edition of _The Quibbler_ that he had cradled in his lap.

Noah was a weird creature, objectively speaking. If you did not know him, his silence seemed unnerving, and even brooding - but the older students in Ravenclaw who had been around him long enough, knew that he was less a man of words, and more a man of action. Indeed, when he did deign to say something, it carried more weight than others' words. Whether this was because of his usual silent nature or because his words actually had more consequence, was hard to tell.

However, he and Dom made for an unusually fitting pair. Before Noah, Dominique had had a number of admirers and boyfriends that did nothing short of shower her with sweet words at all times and in exceeding grimace-inducing cheesiness; however, these same boys got all tongue-tied when introduced to Victoire, Dom's elder sister, who was a Hogwarts alumnus and former Ravenclaw as well.

While Dominique was all snark and spark, Victoire Weasley was grace and glamour personified - and though Dom did not relay her insecurities openly to anyone, a short visit to Shell Cottage in the summer before our second year had made Dom's inner turmoil quite clear to me. On asking, Dominique had confessed that although she loved Vicky, she had a hard time coping with her perfection. So when she started dating and had to encounter boys' suggestions to be more like her elder sister, Dom's anger and resentment was a force to be contended with.

Imagine everyone's surprise when the silent and brooding Noah Jones, Keeper for the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team who rarely spoke to anyone (and who had never dated, or even had rumours of romantic attachments related to him), asked Dom out on a date after she beat a bludger into the back of a Hufflepuff Chaser's head with an unparalleled mixture of finesse and aggression.

Furthermore, imagine my surprise when she said yes, despite having professed to me, less than a day ago, that she was swearing off all men for eternity (although I had never expected that to last too long anyway - we were both teenage fools, after all).

Being the self-appointed guardian to my best friend's heart (and Dominique had never complained), I reserved judgement on Noah until both, he and I, were invited to Shell Cottage over Christmas - although I believe he knew of my reservations and had a silent agreement with me that we were both honouring for Dom's sake. It was after he was personally introduced to Victoire with no resulting reaction except for a cordial handshake, that I started realizing why Dom and Noah's relationship worked so well. He offered no sugary words (or any words, for that matter) or public displays of affection, but was present when he was needed to offer support and small gestures that kept Dom very happy.

He also made it exceedingly easy to not feel like a third wheel, for which I was silently grateful. Dom was my closest friend, and I did not want to either lose her company or intrude on her time with her boyfriend. In the aftermath of my breakup with Isaac last year, Dom was perpetually present for me, and Noah, although he did not speak much, was also a source of comfort when he did. I couldn't help but think of him as a friend after that.

As Dom eagerly shared the story of Rose's downfall by virtue of the meandering cart with Noah, there was a barely perceptible upturning of the corners of his mouth - and I shared the feeling. Indeed, neither he nor I were fond of Rose or the manner in which she accosted Dom at every opportunity she had. The red-headed Gryffindor's aggression and eagerness to find fault with the lot of her cousin's friends was, quite frankly, exhausting to deal with.

Both, Dom and I gathered up our school robes and, saying a quick "We will be back soon" to Noah (who just nodded without looking up), exited the compartment and moved towards the front of the carriage where the washrooms were located.

Nearing the next compartment, we could hear angry exclamations leaking out of the minuscule space between the floor and the sliding door of the compartment. I and Dom rolled our eyes at each other. One did not have to be a genius to figure out who those voices belonged to. Charles, my cousin and Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain extraordinaire, was at it with Theodore, one of the Chasers on the team. _Again. _

Before we could make out enough of the yelling to determine what the fight was about, the carriage door was thrown open and Theo stormed out, his face red with fury, and accidentally bumped into me. As I grimaced in pain and cupped my shoulder (he was a Quidditch player who worked out on a regular basis, and I was unashamed to admit that my only exercise was walking to the refrigerator and back), he looked down and realized he had hurt me.

"Sorry" he said in a low voice, his features softening just a tad bit as he looked down at me, before he moved to the side and set off to one of the open windows at the other end of the carriage, leaving the glass pane to the compartment door visible for us to clearly see Charlie's features twisted in some horrifying medley as he stared after Theo. Lorcan, the only other occupant of the compartment, simply shared a shocked and wide-eyed look with me and Dom (frankly, it was a bit hilarious. He looked like a deer that had just been thrown into the den of a hungry beast).

Dom looked at me and quirked a quizzical brow at Theo's reaction to me, but I just shook my head at her, indicating that it wasn't something I wanted to talk about. There was a few seconds' pause as she gauged my features, but then shrugged acceptingly, and hooking her arm around mine, set off down the corridor once again.

It was not that I did not want to share all my secrets with Dom, it was just that it wasn't my secret to share. While investigating a scoop for _A Witching _sometime in my fifth year, I had accidentally discovered something about Theodore that he was not up to sharing with anyone else just yet. I had assured a panicking Theo that I was not going to speak of the matter to anyone, and had kept my promise.

We walked past the next compartment, in which sat the Hufflepuffs. Mary (who seemed _much_ more tolerable without my cousin in her presence) was talking at Lysander, who was busy ignoring her while playing Exploding Snap with Alice. Alice Longbottom, a sixth year and one of the writers for _A Witching_, looked over and shot a smile at me, which I returned. I was quite fond of Alice - she was a novel individual in the best of ways and her optimism and quirkiness really kept me afloat on days when my own pessimism and anxiety over the paper threatened to swallow me whole.

The next compartment, once again, had a staff member of _A Witching_ (really, we were _everywhere_. I was unsurprised and quite proud of the fact that we had managed to permeate almost all the biggest circles of gossip). Scorpius was the primary photographer for the paper, in that he contributed almost all of the pictures. He also had a great work ethic about everything that he did, and that I quite admired about him despite his tendency of riling up all the newbies with (what I would never admit aloud for fear of spurring him on, but ingenious) pranks.

With Scorpius was his ever-present best friend, Albus, who was yet another one of Dom's numerous cousins that one could be expected to chance upon at any given moment in Hogwarts' corridors. Albus, thankfully, was one of the better ones and was a friendly acquaintance. Aquila Zabini, the sixth-year Slytherin beauty (yet another friendly acquaintance by way of being part of the trio) was sitting on the other side of the compartment and trying to get some last-minute Arithmancy homework done (if the frenzied, half-crazed look on her face was any indication).

The next and last compartment had me averting my eyes. The Gryffindor compartment currently contained one studious Rose Weasley (why she was even in this carriage and away from her usual pack of friends was a mystery), and two of her elder cousins. While Fred Weasley II was a wizarding treasure and overall delight, he was, unfortunately, almost always attached at the hip to his cousin and best friend, James Potter II.

James and I had a brief and unfortunate history that had ended terribly for both sides - and while I was not proud of my part in lighting the fire, it was he who had fanned it. A wildfire of that magnitude was bound to go up in smoke and leave behind ashes, and I would not admit to regretting anything.

You see, after the meltdown that was the end of my relationship with Isaac last year, I was left both, hurting, and looking for validation of my worth to the male half of the species - as all toxic relationships tend to leave one. So, I did what any desperate and foolish teen does in this situation - went for a rebound when all signs pointed out that it was too early for me. I was also quite caught up in the feeling of betrayal and decided to hit on Isaac's teammate who was a year younger than him and would be taking on the mantle of Gryffindor Quidditch Captain after he left. James, though he would never admit it in the aftermath of everything that had happened between us, was quite happy to reciprocate.

Although we weren't dating, it was clear that we were leading up to it (in my mind anyway, although, in retrospect, it could have been my mental state at the time). So when I saw him whispering into the ears of a giggling girl at an after-game party in the Slytherin common room, not two weeks after discovering Isaac cheating on me, my emotions boiled over.

I am quite ashamed of what I did next, and indeed, regretted it almost immediately after - but what was done, was done. Rather than confronting James about the matter, I abused my position as staff of _A Witching_ (it is a wonder that they still promoted me to editor-in-chief rather than firing me) to write and publish an article on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, their strategies for the upcoming match and their training regime. It was not as though these things were a well-guarded secret because many teams spied on each other for leverage all the time, but writing about them explicitly was a violation of the ethical code of conduct that I had thus far maintained for myself as a writer.

Before I could change my mind, the article had already been published. I did attempt to give James a warning in the form of a written letter of apology that I sent to his dormitory via Talons, my owl, but the note never reached him because I woke up from a fitful sleep to find that my befuddled bird-brain of a pet had simply brought my own letter back to me. I had scolded Talons for a bit, before acquiescing to her pitiful look, petting her, and getting ready to deliver the apology in person at breakfast.

I never got the opportunity to do so. Before I could get to him, the papers got to James first. Worse, my article had made the headlines. At that moment, I could have forgiven any reaction on James' part except for the one he actually had.

Had he discredited the article or even disparaged me in front of the school, I could have dealt with it - but no, he cast aspersions on my character and the legitimacy of all of my written work by comparing me to that cockroach, Rita Skeeter - implying that I had deliberately manipulated him to gain the information. I could deal with accusations of my person, but questioning my work was the worst sort of personal attack that he could have meted out - and suddenly, the apology letter in my hand was no better than trash. Yes, I was ashamed of my own actions, but no, I did not regret who they were aimed at.

In the end, the fact of the matter remained that Isaac was unaffected by the entire affair even though his was the only attention I was seeking. I was inconsequential to him, and he moved on without a single look backwards at me, not even a mocking one. I knew that it was most likely the recentness of the entire affair and my pessimistic and over-dramatic tendencies, but it still felt as though I would never again be able to trust someone enough to have a relationship - not even another poisonous one - ever again.

As I pondered over all of this, the train plunged into a tunnel that cast a darkness over the carriage, and being nearly at the end of the carriage, we heard the distinct 'click' that signified the temporary closing off of train carriages from each other. Dom pushed open the washroom door and we unhooked our arms to enter the separate stalls.

"You seem awfully silent today" came Dom's voice from the stall next to me as I shimmied off my denim trousers and pulled off my shirt.

"I am always this silent Dom" I allowed myself to smile a bit "but you are simply noticing it now because you are not speaking yourself".

"Are you implying that I am a chatterbox?" she replied, attempting to sound cross, but I could tell she was grinning.

"I am stating it outright" I chuckled as I pulled my robe on.

"Look" her voice came, more serious this time around as I heard her stall door opening "I can tell you were thinking about Isaac again, and I know all your deflection strategies and defense mechanisms. I also know that it is not the cheating that got the most to you, it is how he made you feel like you weren't worth the attention of anyone. That is what kept you trapped in that relationship, and what is stopping you from moving on, even now - but he was wrong, and I am going to keep telling you that until you believe it."

I sighed "I need more time, Dom".

"I know" I heard the bathroom door open "take all the time that you need. I am right here".

As I listened to the sound of her footsteps receding, I leaned my head against the stall door and sighed. When was I going to be able to get his voice out of my head? I was exhausted of second-guessing myself and every decision that I made.

It was as I was thinking this, that I heard it - sharp and ear-piercing. Dominique's scream.

My feet rushed me out of the bathroom, tie unmade and hair in disarray, before my mind could catch up with them, to find the shadow of the tunnel move away from Dom's face, revealing a look of the utmost horror.

Relieved to see that she had not suffered any bodily harm, I looked in the direction her eyes were trained in and saw a sight that froze my blood.

A few feet away, under an open window that overlooked the tracks, lay Theodore Jackson - his pale face without expression, and his glassy eyes trained on me.

**_A/N: Any and all reviews are appreciated! Let me know what you think about the stories and characters so far :)_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the great J.K. Rowling - and anything you do not, belongs to me.**

_"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."_

_\- Macbeth (Act IV, Scene I)._

Both Dominique and I stood frozen, our eyes unwavering from the scene in front of us. My hand was still clutching her arm, and her hand had wrapped itself around mine with a deathly grip that would soon begin to draw blood. Even the opening of two compartment doors, no doubt due to the piercing scream, were not enough to jar us from our state.

It was only when a pair of legs blocked Theo's glassy stare, that I came out of my reverie.

The Gryffindors, no doubt by virtue of being closest to the scream, had rushed out first - followed closely by the Hufflepuffs. The sudden chatter in the corridor was also rousing the others, however, and soon enough, everyone had gathered around the body - some too horrified to approach closer, while others, like Rose, ventured nearer from a morbid curiosity.

As Rose slowly moved her hand towards Theo's head, most likely intending to upturn it to better see his expression, a calm and commanding voice broke the chatter.

"Everyone, please step away from the body" said Noah, and everyone stepped away. Rose, the expression on her face unreadable, withdrew her hand and moved backward.

Dom, still shell-shocked, finally moved. Her hands trembling as she clutched even harder at me, spoke into the silence "He...he was...when I came out" and then taking a breath to compose herself "I came out of the washroom and it was too dark to see anything at first, because of the tunnel - but then I saw him...just...lying there" her voice was thick and trembling.

I just held her back, too overwhelmed to even begin registering anything. Still and silent, staring at the crowd with unseeing eyes.

Just like Theodore.

And then suddenly my vision blurred and I felt hot tears sliding down my cheeks - the shock overcome by grief. Lorcan broke away from the crowd to join me and Dom - his face registering similar disbelief as he blocked everyone's stares at my distress. Dom had turned away from the scene, unable to look at it anymore, while I couldn't stop staring at it even as I cried.

Slowly, soft voices broke out and there was a hushed chatter in the corridor. Before we knew what was happening, Albus had ushered us into the nearest compartment and sat us down to recuperate. I could barely see, and the only anchor I had was Dom's hand, desperately clutching my own.

There was a commotion at the door, and I looked up to see Rose, Fred, and James enter the compartment, followed by Noah who was carrying bars of Honeydukes' chocolate that I recognized to be from the stash in my own suitcase. He silently handed a bar each to both, me and Dom, and sat down next to Dom, his arm around her shoulder. Despite feeling overwhelmed, I had never before been as grateful for Noah as I was in that moment.

I chewed the chocolate, and although it felt more like mud than actual sustenance at the moment, it was still something to do - a physical action that I could direct all my focus at to avoid making eye-contact with the three Gryffindors who were sitting silently across from us, and staring unabashedly.

I looked up at the sharp rapping of knuckles on the glass, to see Alice and Scorpius standing at the threshold. Alice gave me a small, reassuring smile as she came and sat down beside me, while Scorpius unfolded a blanket and placed it around my shoulders.

"What are you doing?" I said, my voice coming out hoarse and scratchy.

"Wrapping you in a blanket. Isn't that what you are supposed to do when someone is in shock?"

"Oh, right" I mumbled as I clutched the corners to pull the blanket tighter around myself "thanks".

There was a thick, uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, which no one seemed willing to break. Finally, Fred spoke, looking directly at Dom.

"I realise that this might not be the best time to ask about this, but it is on everyone's mind so I might as well get it over with: did you see anyone, suspicious or otherwise, around Jackso-the body...when you came out?"

Dom shuddered as she shook her head, looking at her lap. I squeezed her hand in what I hope was a comforting gesture.

"As uncomfortable as this is to say" spoke Rose, looking a bit awkwardly at her cousin "it does seem to appear as though Nicky was the one who...you know" her voice trailed off.

My anger spiked and I bristled angrily at Rose "No we don't! What are you trying to imply?"

"Well, she did come across the body first" Rose mumbled, fiddling with her hands "and I am not saying she killed him, just that it appears that way".

"Oh, and that is exactly what you want isn't it?" said Dom in a low voice, shock and grief giving way to anger as she glared venomously at Rose "Because you believe me capable of something like this, you are quite happy to blame me for it. Seeing me go to Azkaban would be the happiest moment of your miserable life!".

Rose's face twisted with rage, but before she could retaliate, Scorpius intervened "Alright, tensions are running high at the moment. Let us all just take a few deep breaths before we talk".

"Who would want to murder Jackson, though? And why?" asked James, his question not aimed at anyone in particular.

Murder...just hearing that word out loud made everything so much more real. I shivered as I realized that there was no going back - this had actually happened. Theodore was dead.

"I don't know" I whispered aloud - but unbidden into my mind came Theo's panicked face as he saw me on the staircase of the Astronomy tower that one night two years ago.

No. It couldn't have been that. I was the only one who knew - and I had, admittedly, used my position in gossip circles to quell any possible rumours (although I hadn't told Theo about this).

With some minute unease, I dismissed the thought of Theo's secret being the cause of his death from my mind - because if that was indeed the cause of his death, then I was at least responsible. No, I had to believe that I had done a good job at keeping his secret, a secret. If I had done this…

I shut my eyes, feeling my vision swim before me and leaned into the backrest. Assuming it was a simple case of disorientation, no one questioned me. But in my mind, I was ruminating, and even the most anxiety-fueled part of my psyche could not rationalize the manner in which Theo was murdered with his secret being the cause. The Ravenclaw in me recognized that had Theo's secret been the cause of his death, the murder would not be quiet - there would have been a clear message that would have been seen by everyone. So no, Theodore's secret was not the cause of his death.

But that did not change the fact that he was, in fact, dead.

And while I did not like what Rose had said, it was true that Dom had been the first to see the body. In the eyes of law enforcement, she would be the primary suspect.

"I will take the blame" I blurted out suddenly into the silence.

"What?" said Scorpius, with an astounded and confused look on his face, as though he knew exactly to what I was referring, but could not believe it.

Looking up at the rest of the occupants in the compartment, I said "No one has to know that Dom was the first person to see the body, and not me. We were very close in our timing - it could just as easily have been the other way around."

Everyone in the compartment looked stunned, and Albus opened his mouth, but before he could say anything-

"What? No! Are you absolutely out of your mind, Robin?" Dom spoke out, furious and glaring daggers at me.

"You don't understand, Dom. I will be cleared for lack of motive, so it is not like I am being selflessly sacrificial" I tried to reason with her.

"Yes, but I do not have a motive either, so I will be cleared as well. You are not taking this on yourself!".

"I am" I said firmly "Theodore's family was friends with your uncle Percy, and you know that some of the less competent Aurors will not flinch in twisting that to fit you to their mold of the murderer to save themselves work. With so much of your family involved, do you really think they are going to let your uncle investigate the case? He is the Head of the Auror Department, granted, but there are certain protocols that everyone will insist be followed."

"But-" Dom tried to interject angrily.

"And even if they don't end up framing you, the press will jump at the opportunity to write something scandalous - _anything_ scandalous - about Harry Potter's niece. Me, on the other hand? I come from a nondescript muggle family with no ties to anyone of importance. As much as I detest saying this about the profession I want to enter into, the newspapers probably won't even spell my name correctly".

"I-" Dom choked up, staring at me like she did not know which emotion took precedence in this situation, gratuity or anger. The confusion was understandable. After all, it was not we had been in a similar situation before.

"Wright is correct, you know" said Fred, and I looked gratefully at him "Not that I encourage lying to Aurors or anything, but if neither of you had any motive for killing Jackson and everyone else saw you together at the crime scene, it makes sense that the one who will get less media attention place themselves first at the crime scene".

"Unless" interjected Alice, who had been silent for so long I had forgotten that someone had been holding my blanket tight around me "we solve the murder here".

I, as well as all others in the compartment, looked at her like she was out of her mind.

She clarified "The Auror department would only conduct an investigation if it still needed investigating. If we solve the murder here, while on the train, then there is nothing for the Aurors to investigate".

Albus looked doubtful "We would need a full confession, in front of several witnesses, before the train reaches Hogsmeade. Do you think we could manage that?".

Scorpius, who seemed to be on board with the idea, shrugged and said "We have a little less than nine hours. It wouldn't hurt to try. What is the worst that could happen?".

"Well, for one - it could be one of us, and any investigation we do collectively could reveal evidence that could be covered up before we get to the platform" I rationalized.

"So we form smaller groups and work together and share evidence with only with the people we trust" said James, and although he did not betray anything by looks or words, it was clear the jab was intended for me.

I did not deign to react. I knew I deserved it.

"Fine, works for me. I want Robin and Noah on my team - oh, and I suppose Scorpius, Alice, and Albus as well".

Fred looked hurt "You mean to tell me that you don't trust either me or James? That is rather cold of you Nicky - after all those times I smuggled the Wheezes' prototypes for you".

"It is not that I don't trust you or James" sighed Dom, turning to her cousin "but Rose comes as a package deal with you two, especially as none of her fellow cronies are around at the given moment".

Rose bristled "You know what? James and Fred are not doing any charity by staying in my company, and I am more than capable of working with others. I can work with Albus-"

"Coincidentally, another one of your cousins" I muttered, rolling my eyes for Dom and Noah's benefit.

"And" she added sharply as she dared me with her eyes "Alice".

"You might want to consider asking Alice's opinion on the matter. After all, she has to agree to work with you" said Scorpius, smirking a bit as Rose glared at him.

Alice gave a noncommittal shrug, which was expected seeing that she was probably the most open-minded person in this group. She was not given to bias, which would have been a valuable trait to have in our group. It was rather unfortunate that she was in the other group.

On the other hand, she would be better able to keep an eye on Rose. I did not trust her. Her being in this carriage when all the girls she usually traveled with were in another, as well as her proximity to the murder scene, seemed barely on the precipice of coincidence.

Add to that the fact that the Gryffindors had been the first to respond to the scream, as well as what had seemed to me her then-normal response of approaching the body, and Rose Weasley was looking to be a rather good suspect.

Unfortunately, I could not ascertain how much of this suspicion of mine was because of my bias against her.

Which is why Alice would be better than me at investigating Rose. I would not tell her and risk subjecting her to this bias as well, though - at least not until I had a possible motive. Rose may have been a bloody pain in the arse, but she was still Dom's cousin and I needed to be sure before even a hint of accusation against Rose passed my lips.

"If you want to work with me Rose, Scorp will join as well" at Rose's incredulous look, Albus added "We are a package deal - besides, whatever you tell me, I am going to tell him anyway".

Thankfully, that finally shut Rose up. She crossed her arms and looked like she had been forced to swallow a gallon of bubotuber pus.

"So just to clarify, your group has Albus, Scorpius, Rose and Alice" said Dom "which means we are left with me, Noah, Robin, James and Fred".

"Yes" nodded Scorpius "now if you don't mind, we are going to head back to kick out Qila into the Hufflepuffs' compartment for the remainder of the journey. In her current state of panic over Arithmancy, I doubt she will say much".

"Worst case scenario, she scratches our eyes out and steals our stash of candy" Albus shook his head fondly. It was clear to the entire world that he was a goner.

Scorpius rolled his eyes at him.

"You can use our compartment" I addressed Albus "Dom, Noah and I are all here. It is the one at the other end of the carriage".

He nodded and gave me small smile.

Scorpius waved us a quick goodbye and jogged out behind Albus, a miffed Rose and calm Alice following behind.

That left five of us sitting awkwardly in the compartment - surrounded by tension so thick, it was suffocating.

And the cause of the tension was very clear.

I looked across and made brief eye contact with James, who was staring at me like he was trying to figure me out for the sole reason of finding more to hate me for.

Dom bounced an anxious gaze between us, worrying her bottom lip, while Fred looked like he was having the time of his life waiting to see which one of us would crack first. Noah just looked bored with all this drama.

I sighed. This was going to be one _long_ ride.

_**A/N: Please review and let me know if you like where the story is going thus far. Any theories as to who could have done it and why?**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling - anything you do not, belongs to me.**

_"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't."_

_\- Hamlet (Act II, Scene III)._

"Where do we start?" asked Dom, awkwardly trying to ease the tension in the room.

"When Wright and James are done suppressing their sexual tension, I suppose" answered Fred cheerily.

I was quite fond of Fred, but at that moment, I would have happily stuffed Charlie's stinkiest, most sweat-soaked socks in his mouth. James glared at Fred like he wouldn't refrain from doing that himself.

"We could start by making a list of all the people who could have committed the murder" I suggested.

Dom nodded "Everyone in the carriage, then".

James looked confused "Why only this carriage? What about the neighbouring carriages or the staff on the train? Do you think there wasn't enough time for someone outside to have done it?"

"It would be in the realm of possibility, had the carriages not shut off from each other when we entered the tunnel" explained Dom "I and Robin went into the washrooms a little after we entered the tunnel, and I came out just before we exited. Robin was a few seconds late".

I nodded emphatically. I had forgotten that little detail about the carriage doors closing off, and Dom's sharp recollection had saved us a lot of time by narrowing down the suspect list a great deal.

"So anything that happened, happened in the span of those few minutes" James caught on "which means that the murderer is in the carriage".

"Exactly" I said, grabbing a piece of parchment sticking out from Fred's pockets and a quill Noah held in his outstretched hand, before proceeding to scribble down the names of all the people I recollected seeing in the carriage.

"Wait" interrupted Fred "how do we know that people have not entered or left since the door to the carriages did open? Someone could have hidden in an empty compartment or nook and waited until we were all back inside to leave".

"There were no empty compartments" I pitched in "every last one in the carriage was occupied by at least one person. I remember walking past all of them on the way to the washroom with Dom".

"That still leaves possible nooks, though" Fred responded, "are there any that the murderer could have hidden in while we are all milling about the body?"

There was a small pause, and then Noah spoke up "That is a good question. Let us go check".

"Check?" asked Dom "how do you intend to do that?"

"An experiment. One of us stands in the exact place where you and Robin were when you saw the body, while the other tries to find a hiding place that is not visible to the observer".

I stood up and nodded at Noah "That's a good idea. Let us do it now so we know whether or not to proceed with narrowing down our suspect list".

"Are you sure you want to go out there again?" asked James, looking into my eyes and addressing me directly.

I paused, not sure whether I was discomfited by the thought of seeing a lifeless Theo again, or what seemed to be James' unexpected concern towards my wellbeing.

"Aww" cooed Fred in the background "Is it just me, or are these two just adorable?".

"It _is_ just you" muttered James not-so-quietly, before turning around and saying "Do you have a death wish, Fred? Because I am more than capable of granting it".

Fred's answering chuckle registered somewhat lesser in my addled mind than the faint flush around James' neck and ears.

No. I was seeing things. That ship had sailed a long time ago.

Not that I had ever wanted to be on it. I had simply been attempting to use James to exact revenge on Isaac.

Right. Isaac.

Besides, even if James had been interested a long time ago, the interest would not have lasted. The ship would have sunk.

I ignored the disagreeing funny feeling in my tummy by clearing my throat a bit before saying "While it is true that I do not feel absolutely up to seeing...the body... again, we will also have to examine the crime scene at some point for clues. Might as well get it over with."

James turned around and looked at me again, but I did not meet his gaze and instead addressed Dom: "Are you okay with going out there again?".

"Yes," she nodded, a determined look on her face.

Noah unwound himself from his position beside Dom, much like a panther, and both he and Dom stood up, as well as James and Fred. As we walked out of the compartment, I saw the smirk Fred shot an irritated and embarrassed James, who swatted him away.

I looked away, not knowing what to think or feel.

I and Dom took up our original positions in front of the washroom door, both of us trying our best not to look at Theo or his unmoving, glassy eyes. Although the thought of those eyes looking at me sent a sudden, uncontrollable shiver up my spine. Dom tightened her grip on my arm comfortingly, and I reciprocated.

"I can see all the compartment doors from here" Dom called out to the boys, who had stationed themselves at the far end of the corridor.

"Call out 'yes' if you can see us, and 'no' if you cannot" Fred's voice came booming, and Dom called out "Alright!".

The boys then proceeded to try out every possible corner of the corridor that could have served as a hiding place, and I and Dom proceeded to shout out "No!" for all of them, except one. However, as Fred pointed out to us, it could not have been that one protruding area of the wall, because it was right in front of the 'Puffs compartment and someone would have most likely seen him or her when they ran out on hearing Dom's scream.

"And even if they had not" I added "That nook is right in the middle of the corridor. It would have been next to impossible to sneak out of the carriage from either end, with everyone on high alert after".

"So we can rule out any third person as a suspect," said James grimly "and concentrate on only the people in this carriage".

"Right" Dom cleared her throat "let's go back inside and make that list" she turned resolutely away from the body, stiff as she dragged me back to the compartment with a vice-like grip on my arm. I did not protest, instead, simply calling out to Noah, (who I knew to be the most observant among us)"Can you keep an eye out to see if anyone approaches the bo-crime scene?"

Noah simply nodded and stood inside the closed compartment door, his body turned slightly away from us and his eyes trained on the crime scene just outside the compartment.

Back inside, James handed me a piece of parchment and a quill from his trunk, the very tips of his fingers brushing mine. Our eyes met for the briefest of moments after this happened, and we quickly pulled away. James turned away, his hand messing up the back of his hair. I wondered why I felt so jumpy all of a sudden.

Fred hummed and smirked at James, who then smacked him over the head with a rolled-up copy of _Quidditch Weekly_.

I tried to ignore all of this, choosing, instead, to focus all my attention on listing down the names of everyone in the carriage:

_ Wright_

_2\. Dominique Weasley_

_3\. Noah Jones_

_4\. Charles Wright_

As I was writing down Charles' name, a wave of panic overcame me. A vivid recollection of his face as Theo stormed away from their fight swam in front of my eyes.

Could Charlie have done this?

But why? He and Theo had been at loggerheads since they had joined the Quidditch team. Their arguments were famous, and had even lost Ravenclaw a match last year - but was Charlie angry enough to kill his Chaser? And if he was, why would he have waited all this time?

But once again, Charlie's enraged face from earlier today popped into my head. I had never seen him this angry before, and he was known for the terrible temper he had inherited from my uncle.

That's the thing though - anger. If this had been a crime of passion, committed in a moment of frenzied anger, it would not have appeared so clean and organized. Charlie was not the most calm and rational of people when angered, and had he been, he would have been smart enough to realize the dangers of committing murder when several possible witnesses were in such close quarters.

The memory of Charlie's face still plagued me though. There was something just a bit odd about the extent of his anger. Theo must have said something that really set him off - and for my peace of mind, I needed to find out what it was.

As I proceeded down the list, I briefly tuned into the background static of Dom asking Fred if he or James had any extendable ears, or other products they could use for the purposes of investigation - which seemed like an ingenious idea.

But that also reminded me of the invisibility cloak.

The Potters' invisibility cloak was a closely-guarded secret that few people in school apart from the Potters themselves, their cousins and friends knew of. This ensured that the cloak's utility in times of mischief-making was not compromised. The lesser the people knew of it, the more the range of pranks in which it could be used without raising suspicion.

Now technically I was not supposed to be aware of the cloak because I was a Weasley's closest friend, and not a Potter's. I had also been a Prefect for my year since my third week at Hogwarts, which meant that there was an even greater resistance to telling me about the cloak. Dom, I had known, could not tell me because it simply was not her secret to tell, and I did not blame her.

However, I knew plenty of things I should not know - courtesy of being a Hogwarts' journalist. Although only Potters, their cousins and close friends knew of this secret, taking the large size of the Potter-Weasley clan into account, this made up for quite a sizeable number of people and I was surprised the secret had lasted as long as it had.

Also, let it be noted that Hugo Weasley blabbers nervously when caught doing something suspicious, and let's slip more than a drunk banshee in the dim lighting of Hog's Head.

Dom had not contradicted me when I had told her what I knew about the cloak, telling me instead that she was thankful I had discovered it on my own so she would no longer feel guilty about keeping something from me.

Could James or Albus have done this?

I furrowed my brow and chewed on the end of the quill - a common byproduct of deep, critical thinking on my end - having forgotten that the quill did not, in fact, belong to me.

What possible motive could either of the Potters have had for killing Theo? None, as far as I could ascertain based on information I currently had.

Although Albus was smart enough to have planned Theo's murder, and calm enough to have carried it out, I knew him well enough to believe him to be better than to even think of doing such a thing. Besides, Albus and Theo were simple acquaintances - the kind who absently nodded their heads at each other if they made eye-contact in a school corridor, and this had not changed based on their interaction (or lack thereof) on the train platform a few hours ago.

It was hard to believe that anything so drastic could have happened as to completely upset their dynamic in the span of an hour's time, that also gave Albus enough time to plot and accomplish Theo's murder.

As for James, well, the two had engaged in mild heckling once in a while, as two Quidditch players on opposite teams are wont to do. There was nothing so drastic or obvious as to warrant intervention from any Professors, Prefects or other authority figures. In fact, if James had murdered anyone, it was more likely to have been my cousin - and Theo and Charlie looked too different for James to have mistaken one for the other.

What about Rose, though?

I knew for a fact that, every once in a while, a Weasley did borrow the cloak for pranking purposes. If either of the Potters had lent the cloak to her, would they tell me or Dom, or protect her?

I wasn't too sure about James. He seemed quite protective of Rose, who I understood he grew up in close proximity with. He also did not trust me because of our history, for which I could not really blame him. Albus, on the other hand, although also quite close to Rose, did trust me more than James did. However, it was unlikely he would choose a friendly acquaintance over family.

Perhaps there was a quicker, easier way to do this.

"Can we use your invisibility cloak for investigation?"

The compartment went silent, and even Noah's head swivelled around briefly, before he resumed his intense focus on the crime scene (which was more focused than I had in mind when I had asked him - I was just hoping for him to have a quick look outside now and then).

James and Fred looked at me incredulously, while Dom was trying (and failing) to suppress her grin.

"You told her?!" they screamed aloud in unision.

"No" Dom replied, now chuckling openly "She figured it out all on her own".

"How?" asked Fred, turning to me with his eyes wide open.

I shrugged noncommittally, replying enigmatically as I always did whenever someone asked me about all the gossip and secrets I knew: "No comment".

Fred grinned "You know, I like you more and more by the minute, Wright". His grin turned into a pleased smirk when James glared at him, probably for praising me when he himself was pissed.

I smiled at Fred and then turned back towards James "So, can we borrow your cloak?".

He looked at me for a few seconds, and the sighed "Why not? I gave it to Lily just this morning. I think I saw her get into the carriage in front of ours?" he looked questioningly at Fred, who nodded in affirmation, before he turned back to face me "I will go get it".

I did not object - after all the cloak would probably be useful for investigation purposes. My theory about Rose using the cloak were probably about to be dashed though. If James came back with the cloak, Lily had had it all this while because even if she had given it to Rose after James had given it to her, Rose would not have been able to return the cloak after committing the murder.

The passage between the carriages was closed off while Dom and I were in the washroom, and after the body was discovered, no one had been seen going to the front carriage - anyone of us sitting in what had been the original 'Gryffindor' compartment, which was at the very front of the carriage, would have seen someone attempting to go to the carriage in front.

I will admit that I was slightly relieved when James returned with the cloak in hand. I did not particularly want Dom's cousin to be a murderer, and at least now I knew that she could not have done it this way.

I had still not ruled her out completely, though - blame it on my over-suspicious nature.

Finally, my list completed, I handed it over to Dom, who, like any conscientious, rational Ravenclaw, seemed to approve of the fact that I had not left anyone out - not even her, or myself - as suspects.

James' and Fred's protests at the inclusion of their names were drowned out by Noah's voice as he looked over the list, and nodding, said "An unbiased list". He looked at the other two males and said "If you truly want an investigation that is successful, you need to be impartial and objective when evaluating your suspects. Don't rule out someone just because you are related to them, or know them. That can be one of the factors, but it should never be the entire basis of you dismissing them as a suspect".

Overwhelmed by the majority, the two Gryffindors backed down, silently conceding, I believe, the wisdom of Noah's words.

I looked down at our final list:

_ Wright_

_ Weasley_

_ Jones_

_ Wright_

_ Scamander_

_ Scamander_

_ Miller_

_ Longbottom_

_ Potter_

_ Malfoy_

_ Zabini_

_ Potter_

_ Weasley_

"What do we do next?" I asked aloud, addressing everyone in the compartment.

"Study the crime scene" replied Noah.

Of course.

What better way to narrow down the list than by finding means of death and any possible physical clues?

Dom seemed to be thinking the same thing. "You, Noah, are a genius".

Noah looked pleased at the compliment he had just received from his girlfriend, and followed her as she left the compartment - me, James and Fred following as we stepped out into the corridor of the carriage once again.

**_A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think of the story and the characters so far. Do you have any theories? _**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling - and anything you do not, belongs to me.**

_"What's gone and what's past help should be past grief" ._

_\- The Winter's Tale (Act III, Scene II)._

Having seen Theo's lifeless body twice before had not done much by the way of desensitizing me.

I wondered what it was about his eyes that seemed particularly macabre to me. They looked accusing, somehow - even though I knew I had not done anything wrong. Even so, they seemed to be telling me that there was something I was not seeing.

_What?_

I put aside this nagging feeling for the moment, and decided to concentrate on Dom and Fred, who seemed to have taken charge of investigating the crime scene at close quarters. Dom, I was glad to see, had shoved aside her discomfort and adopted a purely clinical approach to the situation - her spirit was made of quality stuff, as all those closest to her knew.

"Either this was done with an _Avada Kedavra_, or he was somehow killed with another weapon that did not leave any visible markings" announced Fred.

I noted this down on the piece of parchment in my hand for us to analyze later.

Although, if _Avada Kedavra_ had been used…

"_Priori Incantatem_" I said aloud, and everyone turned to look at me "we can use _Priori Incantatem_ to see what spell was last cast with someone's wand".

"What if they have already cast another spell afterwards to cover up?" asked James, looking right at me "If they are _intelligent_ enough to kill someone in a crowded compartment, it shows that they are also possibly_ intelligent_ enough to cover up previous spellwork. Besides, Jackson was a Ravenclaw. More likely than not, he was killed by the hands of one".

I glowered at him. The stress he laid on the word 'intelligent' had not been an accident either, I knew - it was a deliberate jab at my house and all it stood for. I could stand him insulting me because I knew I deserved it - but it was not okay for him to insult an entire group of people for a single person's mistake.

Besides, what was with his hot and cold attitude? Glaring daggers at me one minute, and inquiring about my wellbeing the next was confusing me. I had more than enough personal issues to be sorting through, without him adding this to my plethora of troubles.

"It also shows that they are _reckless_ and _overconfident_" I snapped back "And that might just mean that they are too _prideful_ to think that they might actually get caught".

Potter and I stood silently seething for a while, just looking at each other with narrowed eyes.

You know what? I was exhausted. Of this entire situation and with myself. As of late, social interaction was only digestible to me in small doses and I had already had enough to last me a week. I knew that between me and James, I was the one who had screwed up - but I was tired of being reminded of it. What I had done made me sick to my stomach even now, and I did not need someone else telling me what a terrible human being I was.

I needed to get away from the others for some time.

I tore my gaze from James' angry one, and looked down at the carpeting as I ground out "It is clear that I am neither needed, nor wanted here, and seeing as my skills lie more in the area of quiet contemplation, I am going to go use my_ intelligence_ to draw up a timeline of events".

And without looking at anyone, I turned and walked back into the compartment. Once inside, I lightly shut the door and sighing, sank down into the seat closest to the window. As I looked outside, I saw an tawny owl with a letter attached to one of its feet flying along the carriage. Silly as it was, I felt my hope rising - only for it to be dashed in less than a second. Isaac's owl did not have those markings - I knew.

A lump rose in my throat, and I pushed it down forcefully whilst trying to blink back the unshed tears. Merlin only knows why I was looking forward to receiving a message from him when all he had ever done was make me believe that I did not deserve him, or anyone else for that matter.

I picked up the quill and started writing on the parchment:

_11:00 - Hogwarts Express leaves from Platform 9 & 3/4 at King's Cross._

James

"You are a right tool, you know that?" asked Nicky in what I assume was a tone that implied the question was rhetorical.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Fred nodding emphatically as he agreed with our cousins' statement. What a sodding prick. It was not like he had been of any bloody help in this entire situation. On the contrary, it seemed like he was having a laugh at my misery. He had done nothing _but_ tease me so far about Robin.

In retrospect, it had been a terrible idea to tell the one guy who got a kick out of teasing his best mate and cousin about his little crush back in sixth year.

Alright fine, I will concede that the crush was not _little_. However, I refuse to budge on the word 'crush', no matter what Fred says.

And besides, even though Robin was in my year in school and I had seen her at a few Weasley-Potter get-togethers because of Nicky and thought her to be quite pretty and witty, the fact remained that by the time I actually got around to saying more than a simple "Hello" to her, she was dating my Quidditch Captain.

Brilliant piece of luck, that.

Now while Isaac Turner was quite the talented Quidditch player, he was not the most _pleasant_ of people. Always seemed like he thought the sun shone out of his bum crack, and was quite resentful whenever I proposed a change to any of his training regimens or plays - trying to take credit for them himself when the rest of the team agreed with me.

He did not seem that great of a boyfriend either - always off with some girl that was not Robin. Although, Robin did not seem to mind, and I guess that was another thing that made me like her even more - the trust she had in her arse of a boyfriend. She never said anything to Isaac about his supposed trysts with other girls - although there were plenty of rumours about the castle - but sometimes, just sometimes, her smile looked a little too tight to me, with the crinkles around her eyes absent.

When I said this aloud to Fred, he simply confirmed my own worst doubts by telling me that I was probably reading too much into it, and seeing only what I wanted to. So I let it go, albeit reluctantly.

And then when it seemed, after the Winter holidays, that the two had broken up, I could not believe my luck when she began paying attention to me instead.

I probably should not have believed it.

Even now, whenever I am close enough to her to see her clearly in the eyes or touch her or - Merlin forbid - get a whiff of that intoxicating and mysterious fruity scent of her hair, I falter just a bit in my hatred for what she did to me. In those moments, it seems out of place that she could have done this. I do not claim to have ever known her well, but even a brief acquaintance cannot be so misleading about someone's character.

But then that brief moment of proximity passes and I remember with a quiet wrath what she did, and say something to her. Not just something, but too many things.

She does not say anything back. Ever. I don't know why that frustrates me even more.

I don't know why I want her to protest her innocence and tell me that I am wrong in my accusation, or that there was some big reason behind what she did.

Fred would tell me that it is because I am an idiot and am still hung up on her - and I would probably sock him one in the mouth before grudgingly admit that he was correct.

I tuned back into what Nicky was saying.

"Why do need to pick a bloody fight with her every single time?"

"Why are you defending her?" I snapped back instead "One would think you would stand with your family on this matter, but of course, you choose your blasted house instead!"

_"What has my ruddy house got to do with this?"_ Nicky yelled back, and I was momentarily taken aback by the force of her anger. Weasley temper and Veela wrath do not make for a pleasant combination, I have found. Even Fred the Foolhardy was wise enough to retreat a step or two.

When I had recovered enough, I replied with "Your house has everything to do with this! That bloody article was an attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Quidditch team!".

Nicky's posture went stiff, and with a voice that was ice-cold, she said "If you could, for one _sodding_ second, remove your indecently swollen head from your flat arse and think about something other than Quidditch _dear cousin_, you would realize that Robin dated the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain before she 'scammed' you, and that she had more than enough insider knowledge to write that article months before she actually did. If you had even a shred of the_ intelligence_ that you look down upon us Ravenclaws for, you would have stopped to think why she chose to publish that article when she did, before being petty enough to bring it up whenever she is in the vicinity. _What?!_ Do you think she is not aware of what she did and does not hate herself for it?! Because she does! She hates herself for everything nowadays! I have tried, and tried to make her get out of that horrible rut of the aftermath of her toxic relationship with that _bloody sodding arse_ Turner - and her progress is slow enough as is without you guilt-tripping her over an article about your shoddy Quidditch tactics that the entire school was already quite aware of because unlike you, THEY ARE NOT BLOODY THICK!" she finished, breathing deep lungfuls of air and looking strikingly similar to that particularly vicious Hungarian Horntail that uncle Charlie had told us tales of over the holidays.

My mind had screeched to a stop at the phrase 'toxic relationship', and I was still attempting to come to terms with the rest of Nicky's tirade.

Merlin. What had I done?

Nicky was right. She was abso-freaking-lutely right. Had I been so caught up in that feeling of betrayal that I did not stop and think my logic through? Why would she publish the article then? She already knew everything - had known it for months, in fact. Had I thought my accusation through, I would have asked her. Given her a chance to explain.

I did not give her a chance to explain.

Whilst I was thinking of this, the only thing Fred could come up with was "For the record, I think your arse is rather nice".

"What?" I looked at him blankly. Where had that come from?

"Well Nicky just said that your arse is flat. I am just stating for the record that I think it is quite nice. Rather well-rounded in fact."

"Was that the only thing you got from that entire speech?!" our cousin screeched, close to pulling her hair out by its roots. For once, I sided with her over Fred on this one.

"What? You delivered quite a big blow to his ego right there and struck him silent. I thought I should restore a bit of it before he went permanently mute from the shock" Fred shrugged "It looks like it worked".

Both Nicky and I glared at him, and he put up his hands in the universal sign for surrender before going back to examining the crime scene, and Nicky turned the full force of her glare onto me before huffing and turning her focus onto Jackson's body. She muttered loud enough for all of us to hear "I would suggest we leave her alone for some time. She is not likely to be sociable at the moment", and took our silence as agreement.

A toxic relationship. I felt sick to the stomach.

_What had he done to her?_

I had not seen any physical injuries, but then again, maybe she had managed to keep them well-covered with a glamour charm. It was not unheard of for wizards and witches stuck in that sort of situation to resort to such means for hiding what they were going through.

And Robin had hid her wounds, whether physical, mental or emotional, very well. She _was_ a Ravenclaw after all, and her resourcefulness had probably been successful in hiding her predicament from everyone.

Except Nicky.

I looked at my cousin, who was clutching her wand so tight that her knuckles had gone white. It was not a far guess on my end that even she had probably not noticed what Isaac was doing to Robin right away, and had been cursing herself for it. I had seen her get angry plenty of times before, but rarely on someone else's behalf - the only other time being when a bunch of people from her own house had attempted to bully Hugo when he was a first year.

But then, Robin was quite fierce in her defense of my cousin as well. Her righteous anger whenever Nicky's ex-boyfriends had done something to hurt her, her quiet support for her best friend whenever Rose was around, and not to mention her incredible wrath when Rose hinted that Nicky might be accused of the murder, as well as her willingness to perjure herself so as to keep my cousin, and by extension my entire family, out of the media spotlight.

And I had believed that a girl who could do all of this was also capable of writing that article without any justifiable cause other than to simply get at the team. The more I thought about it now, the more improbable it seemed.

_But why? _

Why did she write that article when she did? I needed to know.

"Of course" I thought ruefully to myself "We have to first solve this murder".

Nicky, Fred and Jones, it seemed, were done collecting evidence, if the finality with which Nicky rolled up the piece of parchment with her notes on it was any indication. It seemed they were going to share their findings in the compartment, with the entire team present.

Still giving me the cold shoulder, my cousin walked past me and into the compartment. My other, more useless cousin (and unfortunately my best mate), just shrugged and grimaced at me before following her.

The ever-silent Jones simply ignored me. Nothing unusual there - it was the way he interacted with most people.

Inside the compartment, everyone surrounded Robin, who simply handed over a piece of parchment to Jones, who read over it before spreading it out on the small extendable table near windows for everyone to take a look at.

I tried, rather unsuccessfully, to make eye-contact with Robin, who ignored me and turned her sky-blue eyes towards her own handwriting and said "The timing is bit tentative, but it was a little difficult to be exact because I was not really looking at a watch".

Sighing, I told myself that there would be time to sort out our problems later. With just a little over six hours left, we could not really afford another filler chapter.

So I turned my gaze towards the tentative timeline that Robin had drawn up:

_11:00 - Hogwarts Express leaves from Platform 93/4 at King's Cross._

_11:20 - Dom and I walk past the compartments where all current suspects are accounted for._

_11:25 - We reach the front of the corridor and hear the carriages being closed off before we enter the tunnel. We enter the washroom._

_11:30 - Dom leaves the washroom and I hear her scream and rush out to see the body just as we leave the tunnel._

_11:31 - Occupants of the Gryffindor compartment rush out, followed closely by Hufflepuff._

_11:32 - Slytherins come out of their compartment at the same time as Ravenclaw. As far as I can recall, all suspects are accounted for at this point in time._

_11:35 - Everyone is present at the crime scene and Dom recounts how she discovered the body. Lorcan approaches the two of us._

_11:40 - Dom and I are ushered into the Gryffindors' compartment by Albus, followed closely by Fred, James and Rose._

_11:41 - Noah joins us in the compartment._

_11:42 - Scorpius and Alice join us in the compartment._

_12:00 - Scorpius, Albus, Alice and Rose leave the compartment._

_12:20 - I, Dom, Noah, Fred and James leave the compartment and enter the corridor._

_12:40 - We re-enter the compartment, Noah keeps a watch on the crime scene._

_12:50 - James leaves the compartment._

_13:05 - James re-enters the compartment._

_13:10 - I, Dom, Noah, Fred and James leave the compartment and enter the corridor once again._

_13:15 - I re-enter the compartment._

_13:30 - Dom re-enters the compartment, followed by Fred, Noah and then James._

She calls this 'tentative'? I wonder what 'exact' looks like.

_Ravenclaws._

"And now" Dom spoke with authority as she rolled open the piece of parchment in her hand"we examine evidence".

_**A/N: All reviews are greatly appreciated! Please let me know what you think of the story so far :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling - and anything you do not, belongs to me.**

_"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't." _

_\- Macbeth (Act I, Scene V)._

Robin

Everyone sat down, facing Dom as she carefully levitated out a small piece of black thread from a small plastic bag that she had probably conjured up, presumably in order to not compromise the evidence.

"Fred discovered this on the front upper-torso region of the body. Now, I am not sure we can rule out anything based on this because although the victim was not wearing the school robes or anything black himself, it could have been a remnant of something previously worn over his current clothes, such as a sweater".

"Also" I interjected "If this was found on the front of the body, I don't think it can be from the killer. With the position that the body was lying in - front of the body downwards, back facing the ceiling, and face turned towards the left side - the likeliest scenario looks to be that he was standing near the open window his body was found next to, and that he was surprised from the behind. Probably never even saw his killer".

"That seems to make sense" Dom nodded along "Because if you remember, Robin, we had seen Theo walk over to a window - I am not sure if it was the same one - to cool off after his argument with Charlie".

"Wait. Wright fought with Jackson on the train today?" asked Fred.

I tried to quell the part of me that wanted to immediately jump to my family's defense by reminding myself that I was supposed to be unbiased and clinical during a criminal investigation, even if it was being conducted by a bunch of amateurs. Unlike with Dom, I could not account for Charlie's whereabouts during Theo's murder, and could not, therefore claim him innocent without further proof.

"Yes" I replied, keeping my voice carefully void of emotion "I am surprised you did not hear it. I was pretty sure the entire carriage must have."

"What was the argument about?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I am not sure. Dom?" she shook her head in a 'no' as well. "Most of the actual words were not clear because the compartment door was closed, but Lorcan was in there. He could tell you".

"And how do we question Lorcan without raising suspicion that we are investigating a murder?"

"We can't. Not with the resources we have at hand right now, anyway. However, we have already compromised this investigation by having more than half the suspects participate. How much worse could actually telling the others be?"

"Actually" said James "It might even give us an advantage".

When Fred, Dom and I looked at him questioningly, he opened his mouth to clarify, but got cut off by Noah, who had apparently understood what James had been intending to say.

"It might make the culprit nervous, who would then be more likely to slip up and reveal something".

I nodded my head slowly, that seemed like a good idea. But something Dom had said earlier was nagging me at the back of my mind and distracting me.

"Dom" I said, so distracted I did not realize that I interrupted something she had been saying. "Sorry" I muttered "I did not mean to interrupt".

"It's a small thing. You don't have to apologize for it" she looked me in the eye meaningfully.

"I - Anyway, what I was saying was that you mentioned that the piece of thread was on Theo's upper front torso?"

"Yes" she looked curious.

"Exactly where on his body was it?"

Fred stood up to demonstrate "On his left shoulder" and he pointed close to the collarbone.

"Why?" asked Dom "What are you thinking?".

"I am thinking that we need to get a look at Theo's luggage".

"To what end?" asked James.

"Theodore Jackson was one of the tallest people in the school - and was definitely the tallest in this carriage. If that black thread did not come from anything he wore over the clothes we found him in - a sweater, sweatshirt or scarf - then it came from someone who was tall enough to reach his shoulder."

"But you just said a while ago that because the thread was in the front of his body, it could not be from the killer" interjected James.

"No. I said that it _most likely_ did not come from the killer. I was taking into account the small chance that he actually turned around, talked to his killer, and then turned back to the window, at which point, he was killed".

"Yes" added Dom "And besides, it is possible that the thread did come from someone else, but that someone else was not the killer".

"So, to sum up: we need to talk to Scamander about Wright and Jackson's fight, and check Jackson's luggage for anything black that he might have worn over the clothes he was found in".

"That is correct, but" added Dom "there is still more evidence to go through".

"You managed to find more?" I asked, pleasantly surprised, and Dom shot me a grin before turning to her pocket for a second plastic bag.

"Presenting Exhibit B: a piece of blank parchment."

"Well, that ought to be helpful" snorted James.

"Shut up James" scowled Dom "I don't see you contributing anything to this investigation except flinging baseless accusations at people".

I wasn't thick. I knew 'people' here equated to 'Robin Wright' - and I really couldn't thank the stars enough for a best friend like Dom. I knew I was being sappy with gratitude towards Dom and Noah lately, but I could not help it. I wasn't really an outgoing person at any point in my life, but I was thankful for the few true friends that I did have, and for all that they had helped me through.

"Now, as far as I am aware, most people do not have blank parchments on themselves for no reason. It is usually an illusion to hide something that someone has been reading".

Or the Marauders' Map - but the Potter-Weasleys don't need to know that I know about that as well. Dom knows that I know, and I know that Dom knows that I know. That is all that matters.

"It can also be used to communicate with someone" interjected James, apparently looking to get back into his angered cousin's good books "Fred and I have one that we use when either of us are in detention and the other one is not".

"I figured that as well" huffed Dom, and James retreated, looking like a kicked puppy "But I think we first ought to try any spells that we can to remove illusions, before risking writing on the parchment and contaminating any evidence. Now, Transfiguration is my worst subject-"

"You got a bloody O!" both Fred and James exclaimed, outraged.

"Yes, but that is only because the theory saved me. I was absolute rubbish at the practicals - couldn't even get a Vanishing spell right".

"But Vanishing spells are not taught for the O.W.L.s" said a confused Fred.

"No, but I got overconfident because of how well my theory had gone, and tried to do a Vanishing spell to impress the examiner. I thought I could do it because I had been studying N.E.W.T. Transfiguration theory so I was well-prepared for next year. I messed up, of course, and made an absolute fool of myself by only managing to vanish half the snail. It is a wonder he did not fail me!"

James and Fred stared at Dom for a whole minute, before turning to me and Noah as if looking for some sort of indication that their cousin was crazy. When we did not react, they threw their hands up in the air, and fell back into their seats with a 'whomp', respectively.

"You lot are absolutely barmy!"

"These Ravenclaws are bonkers, I tell you!"

"Anyway" said Dom with a long-drawn sigh of suffering "Like I was saying, Transfiguration is not my best subject. Noah?" she turned to her right.

With Dom levitating the parchment, Noah cast spell after non-verbal spell at the parchment - but to no avail. Looking at a frazzled and frustrated Dom, I turned towards the two Gryffindors.

"You said you have used such a parchment for communication before. Do you know of any spell that reveals any previously written messages that might have been wiped clean?"

Fred shook his head, while James said "No" and just _looked _at me. I ignored him, not eager to open up that can of worms again.

"In that case, Dom, I don't think we have any choice but to go ahead and write on it. We can't wait until we get to Hogwarts for Professor McGonagall to take a loo-"

I was cut off by the opening of the compartment door, and turned to see Scorpius sauntering in with his hands behind his head and a cocky smirk glued onto his face. James did not look happy at the sudden intrusion.

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling. Scorpius was undoubtedly one of my favourite people at Hogwarts for many reasons, not the least being his ability to annoy the crap out of James and Rose. Although don't tell him I said that - he would never stop gloating.

He was followed by a disgruntled Rose (nothing new there), a happily oblivious Albus, and a serenely smiling Alice.

"Why are you here?" asked James with narrowed eyes, obviously addressing Scorpius.

"There is no need to start a pissing contest Potter, I am here for the same reason we all are: to fulfill our purpose on God's green earth".

Dom and I snorted in unision, and even Fred smiled at that.

"Why are you here _in this compartment?"_

"We are here to check your wands" interrupted Rose, throwing a dirty look in Scorpius' direction as she moved past him. Scorpius just stared at the back of her head with amused exasperation.

"What for?" asked Dom, both her voice and gaze cold as she surveyed her cousin.

"We just examined the body, and determined that the death was caused by-"

"Either the Death curse or an object that did not leave any marks. We know. We conducted our own examination a while ago" Dom finished snidely.

I think I just heard the sound of Rose's teeth grinding, and I have to admit that I found it supremely satisfying.

"Then you also know that we can check for any previously-casted spell using-"

"_Priori Incantatem._ I know, but apparently there are some people who think that suggestion is either too stupid or too high-brow, and are unhesitant to shoot me down when I make it. Why don't you tell your dear cousin what you told me to when I made that suggestion, _Potter_?"

I would like to say that I felt a twinge of regret when I saw James grimace at my question, but I am no saint. It is always satisfying to get a one-up on somebody who tried to put you down.

Rose closed her eyes, possibly to gather what little patience and good will she had, and somehow ground out "Well, that is why we are here. We have all checked our own wands - _yes, in front of each other, Nicky_ \- and we want to check yours before we try to go about checking other peoples'".

I will admit that I was the slightest bit impressed by her ability to keep her cool despite mine and Dom's attempts to provoke her. Just the slightest bit.

Murder definitely does wonders to put things in perspective.

Dom seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she quietly pulled out her own wand and said "_Priori Incantatem_". The wand shot out a faint stream of water, which I knew to be the vestige of this morning's attempt to drench Rose on the platform that had hit Dom's Uncle Percy instead. It had been amusing to watch him splutter and look for the offender as Dom had ducked under the compartment's window ledge, cursing like a sailor while I sniggered.

Rose turned to me next, and I pulled out my wand and muttered the charm. My last spell being an "Accio Robes!" done to avoid rootling through my mess of a hastily-stuffed suitcase, the wand tugged at my robes. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that that had been my last spell, and as my robes attempted to fly off my body and suffocate me, I found that the only minutely redeeming thing of the whole affair was that I was still wearing shorts underneath my robes. My bra, unfortunately though, had a childish print of animated characters from Muggle telly on it.

I beat down my robes and with a hot face that no doubt resembled a tomato at this point in time, looked straight at Rose (and not behind her where a particular male cousin of hers sat gawping, while the other boys were guffawing loudly).

"Err...sorry. I had forgotten what my last spell was".

Rose simply snickered, and I glared at her and a smirking Alice before chucking my quill at a giggling Dom.

"Can we get back to the investigation?" I asked loudly, fuming. Still snickering, Rose turned to Noah, James and Fred and checked their wands as well.

"How are you going to check the others' wands?" asked James "Because we were planning on telling the others in the carriage about the investigation so we could interrogate people".

"Not a good idea before we are at least done checking their wands first" said Scorpius "Because any other weapon that was used would have had to be blunt and heavy to not leave any visible wounds and will be tough to get rid of. A spell, on the other hand, is easy to cover up by casting multiple other spells after. There is a limit to which we can use _Priori Incantatem_".

"Then how would you propose we go about doing this, _Malfoy_?" asked James, his voice biting.

"Actually" Alice jumped in from behind "Albus had a great idea. But it requires some help from Fred. Why don't you tell them, Albus?" she gave him an encouraging pat on the back.

Everyone looked expectantly towards Albus who, a little uncomfortable with all the attention, ruffled his hair with his hand before speaking.

Merlin. Do all Potters do that? How have I never noticed this before? James used to do it all the time whenever I attempted to flirt with him last year.

"Well...I might have overheard Uncle George and Fred discussing some prototype products for the Wheezes that Fred was supposed to be bringing to Hogwarts to try out this year" Fred shot Noah a cautious look, most likely because he was the Head Boy, but did not stop Albus from continuing "And I remember hearing you both refer to something called the 'claw' that can cut through walls".

"Ah, yes. The Cutting Claw. Dad is still a little wary about putting it on the market though, because it can be used to make...well...peepholes".

All the girls in the compartment collectively grimaced. "Please tell him not to. We girls have enough creepers to contend with, without added assistance from outside" said Alice.

"That is why it is a prototype!" protested Fred loudly "Dad is still trying to find a way to place restrictive charms on it to prevent stuff like that from happening".

"Let us get back to Potter's idea" said Noah calmly.

"Umm...yes" said Albus, looking gratefully at Noah before continuing "Ours and Qila's compartment is right in between both, the Puffs' compartment and the Claws'. We can cut into a section of the adjoining wall, maybe underneath the seats so they don't see where it is coming from, and place a few dungbombs that will drive them out of the compartment for a few minutes. Then, one or two people can apparate into the compartment to check the wands".

"But they will be able to see us from outside the compartment" said Fred.

"Not if you use the cloak" Dom, Noah and I said in unision.

"Oh. Right." he appeared slightly cowed.

Honestly, if we Claws had the same pranking material these people did, we would get so much more done without getting caught, it was ridiculous. And that cloak would be so useful for sneaking into the Library after hours. Imagine having free reign over all that treasure trove of knowledge locked up in the Restricted Section...

"How do you know about the invisibility cloak?!" a spluttering Rose turned towards me, breaking me out of my pleasant reverie "You told her, didn't you, Nicky?". Fascinating, how her face and hair seem to match whenever she was angry.

"Nope" Dom replied, smirking while popping the 'p' "Like I told Fred and James, Robin figured it out on her own, and I simply did not bother denying it".

"How?" Rose rounded on me.

"No comment" I shrugged, seeing Scorpius and Alice bite the inside of their cheeks to keep from smiling at that phrase. All of us who worked for _A Witching_ knew that to be the go-to phrase when we were questioned about information we had discovered while going about our journalism business.

"That's a viable plan" said Dom, nodding sagely "But we can only use it once. If the occupants of one compartment rush out into the corridor, people in all other compartments are either going to see or hear the commotion and be wary of the same thing happening to them".

"So we can only use it with either the Claws or the Puffs" said Scorpius, catching on.

"I vote we use it on the Hufflepuffs" said James "Because we have to check Theo's luggage and question Lorcan about Jackson and Wright's tiff in the morning. We can simply ask both when we are in their compartment. Its not like they can refuse us or cast a bunch of spells without looking suspicious. And besides, we will be done checking everyone else's wands by then, so it won't warn someone else into covering up".

When the others look confused, Dom gave them a quick rundown of the evidence that we had collected - cleverly neglecting to tell where she had stored the evidence for the moment - and what we had deduced.

"And what about Zabini?" asked Rose "How do we check her wand without making her suspicious?"

Scorpius placed a hand on Albus' shoulder to stop him from what I was eagerly anticipating to be a brawl with his own cousin. "That should be easy" replied Scorpius, grinning "Two people go inside the compartment. One wearing the cloak. The other one distracts Qila - although she doesn't require any distraction because she is panicking like a headless chicken over her Arithmancy homework right now - while the person under the cloak sneaks her wand under it to check".

"Neither you, nor Albus are to check her wand" warned Rose "You are both biased in her favour".

"Fair enough" shrugged Scorpius "I will go, and you can come along under the cloak. If Albus goes, he will probably be the one who ends up getting distracted" he smirked at Albus, whose ears turned red as he batted away his best friend with a scowl.

Rose looked suspiciously at Scorpius, who seemed to be finding great amusement in riling up the Gryffindor by cooperating with her and thus doing the exact opposite of whatever she was expecting of him.

"And after we have checked Aquila's wand, we can tell her about the investigation and use the compartment to dungbomb the Hufflepuffs" I finished "Sounds like a good plan. Scorpius and Weasley, why don't you two go first?"

Rose gave me a look that said she did not need me to tell her what to do, and took the cloak from Potter's outstretched hand. She shot yet another weirded-out look at Scorpius, who was, very chivalrously, holding the compartment door open for her, and walked past him. Before following behind, he turned and winked at me as I smiled and shook my head at his antics.

As the compartment door closed behind them, I looked around at all the assembled people.

_And now, we wait._

_**A/N: Please leave a review an let me know what you think of the characters and the story so far! **_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling - and anything you do not, belongs to me.**

_"Everyone can master a grief but he that has it". _

_\- Much Ado About Nothing (Act III, Scene II)._

Even with two people gone, it was quite a squeeze in the train compartment. There were a few seconds of painful silence, which, thankfully, I was saved from with the help of Alice. She came and sat down beside me, and whilst absentmindedly braiding my hair, began discussing a few ideas about articles with me.

None of the big, breakout ones that we only discussed in front of staff members, mind you - just your run-of-the-mill reviews of new Hogsmeade stores, pranking merchandise and interviews with the presidents of student clubs in school that had sprung up a few years ago.

"That sounds like an excellent idea!" I smiled in reply to her statement about writing an article to garner interest in a Hogwarts Gobstones Championship that Charlotte Priest, president of the Gobstones club, had written to Alice about over the holidays.

I added "We must also do something about getting Hugo Weasley to start up that Wizarding Chess Club that he has been so hot-and-cold about since last year. I think his biggest worry is finding other members. I know Julian Brown from fourth year will most definitely be interested".

"The Hufflepuff? I think I have seen him playing with two others in the library a couple of times".

"They meet there every Thursday after dinner and play all the way till curfew. Rather enthusiastic about it too. Weasley will enjoy their company, although none of them are in his year".

Fred wondered aloud "We did not know Hugo was planning to form a club. Why did he not tell us?".

"Because he is intimidated by you and James" I answered quietly "You are two of his oldest cousins, and are popular. He, in contrast, is quite young and shy. He also thinks you will take the mickey out of him for wanting to start a chess club".

"But he felt comfortable telling you?" James followed up on Fred's question, looking skeptical.

"He did not have to tell me, Potter. I am not particularly skilled at much, but I am a decent enough observer. If you talked less and listened more, you might be surprised at all the stories people relay without words".

He looked at me silently for a long while, like he was trying to gauge me. Dom opened her mouth, and I realized, too late, that I had muttered yet another 'self-deprecating comment' and was about to get chewed-out by my best friend over it. Before she could say anything though, the compartment door slid open.

I never in my life anticipated being this grateful for Rose's presence. Of course, I was happier seeing Scorpius, who walked in after her smiling pleasantly. He was definitely enjoying ticking off the redhead a little too much. At this point, I was afraid she would try and sneak into the Slytherin dormitories and suffocate him with one of his own pillows.

"Zabini is in the clear. Malfoy also told her about the investigation, so we can go ahead and dungbomb the Puffs now" Rose said curtly.

Noah was the first to get up, clearly not captivated by the humdrum chit-chat that had been going on for the past few minutes, and ready to get back to the mission at hand. We all followed behind him, careful to crawl underneath the window of the Hufflepuff compartment so as to not raise suspicion because of our large numbers. I tried to quell the heat in my cheeks as I realized that my bum was practically in the face of the person behind me, who - _oh joy_ \- was Potter.

"Why is the back of your neck all red, James?" asked Fred with what I think was a snigger.

And now the back of _my_ neck was all red. I heard a distinct 'thwack!' and a satisfying "ouch!".

Rose's bum, which was in front of _my_ face was not bad though. If I could bring myself to ever look past all the hostility between us, I would have to admit that the girl was a looker. Although that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

I picked myself up from my undignified position on the ground, and walked into the Slytherins' compartment. Aquila looked up from her homework and shot me a distracted smile, before burying her head in the book once again. Wow, that girl could _focus_. I was more than a little impressed.

One by one, the rest filed in and Fred, who had the Wheezes' merchandise as well as the dungbombs, got under the seat that was affixed to the wall adjoining the Puffs' compartment, and got to work. James, in the meantime, got under the cloak.

We heard a faint 'hiss', and Fred shot us a thumbs-up from his vantage-point under the seat, which meant that he had detonated the bomb. Albus, who had been looking into the corridor from the door's glass pane, also shot a thumbs-up in James' general direction a few seconds later, indicating that the two occupants had left the compartment.

There was a loud 'crack!', which told us that James had taken the cue, and apparated.

I started counting internally. The closer we got to the one-minute mark, the more the likelihood that Lysander and Mary were going to come back in. _Ten seconds...twenty seconds...thirty seconds...forty- _

'Crack!'. He was back.

There was a grunting sound as we only saw James' legs for a couple of seconds. He had apparently gotten the cloak stuck, and was engaged in a tussle with it. Fred calmly reached out in the general direction of James' head, and seemingly having caught what he assumed was cloth, pulled hard.

"Aaargh! Stop tugging on my hair, Fred!".

"Sorry mate, couldn't see" grinned Fred, clearly not sorry at all. James simply shot him a harmless glare before turning back to the rest of us.

"Nothing. One wand conjured up a shadow of what looked to be a small ball - bigger than a bludger, but smaller than a quaffle - and the other was apparently used to perform a very poor disillusionment charm because I couldn't see my hand for less than a second".

"The first one was probably Mary's. She plays this muggle sport called volleyball over the summer" said Alice "and I know that the other was Lysie's because he tried to sneak up behind me earlier when we were playing Exploding Snap, but he is so bad at Charms that I caught him almost immediately. I almost took all of his left eyebrow out" she grinned widely, before sobering up "Of course, I also grew it back after because letting him go without it is just cruel. After all, that is his only good eyebrow. The right one is slightly wonky".

"Err...right" said Rose awkwardly, as the rest of us let out various sounds of amusement at Alice's reasoning "That's that, then. Let us move on to the last compartment".

Charlie and Lorcan. I was sure Charlie is not of the temperament to perform such a cold, calculated crime in an angered state, but like it had struck me before, something was not sitting well with me about his and Theo's argument earlier today. For the life of me though, I couldn't pin down what it was.

As the others left the compartment, I put a hand on Rose's arm to hold her back for a few seconds. Both, she and Dom looked questioningly at me, though Rose's expression betrayed more suspicion than curiosity. Scorpius, who was at the door, hung back a bit to hear what we were saying.

"Look, I know you don't like Dom, me, or our friends much - and the feeling is mutual, believe me - but I, or rather _we_, would appreciate it if you could respect the fact that for most of us Ravenclaws, Theo was a friend rather than just an acquaintance. Yes, even for my cousin who fought with him all the time. Because Dom, Noah and I are investigating and treating everything with clinical detachment, the shock has not really sunk in for us yet, and I don't even want to think about what our state will be when it does".

I swallowed the heavy lump in my throat before continuing "But for Charlie and Lorcan, who have had a few hours to think it over, it is not going to be the same. I won't tell you to not accompany us, but I will _request_ you to please not say anything insensitive".

To her credit, Rose did not argue, and simply nodded quietly.

To say that the Claws' compartment was crowded when we arrived was an understatement. Apparently, Albus had already performed the _Priori Incantatem_ before we walked in because he was handing back Lorcan his wand. My eyes were immediately drawn to Charlie, who was sitting quietly near the window. He was looking at no one in particular, his gaze blank.

I had never before seen him like this. It was deeply unsettling.

Lorcan looked pained and quite upset too, but I think Charlie had the added burden of both, grief and guilt, because he had fought with Theo just before his death. It looked to me like he had withdrawn himself into a shell of self-loathing. I could tell because I recognized it. That was my shell.

It looked like pessimism and and a tendency for self-loathing ran in the family.

I went and sat down next to him, placing a hand on his back, bringing him out of his reverie. He blinked a couple of times and looked down at me as if he had forgotten there were other people in the compartment.

I asked him quietly, but clearly enough for everyone else to stop and listen "What was your's and Theo's argument about today morning?".

He did not respond with any sort of righteous indignation, which already confirmed my theory of the guilt he was suffering from. Indeed, he did not show much response, appearing apathetic as he said quietly:

"I asked him if he had been practicing the Quidditch plays we had discussed before school broke for summer vacations, and he said that he had plenty of other stuff to think about. Just..." he trailed off before gulping loudly "Just because I was busy with Quidditch and Mary didn't mean he did not have better things to do with his time".

I looked to Lorcan, who forlornly nodded in confirmation.

They had had such a violent fight because of that one statement? Calmer arguments between the two had been had for much more in the past. Charlie's face from after the fight flashed in front of my eyes again. Something did not add up.

I looked towards Charlie again, who seemed like he had once again retreated into his shell. "I need some air" he muttered distractedly as he stood up - and as I saw him standing, a thought popped into my head of its own volition.

_Could it be?_

Theo's secret. His and Charlie's fight. The expression on Charlie's face, and his guilt after.

What if that guilt was for something more than a simple fight? My face paled as I realized the implications of what I was thinking. This would cast the suspicion entirely onto my cousin. What if Th-

But here my thought was cut off from the sound of the compartment door closing behind Charlie with a soft 'thud'.

"What is it Robin?" asked Dom, worry creeping into her voice "You look like you have just seen a ghost".

"I...nothing" I looked around at all the confused faces around me "I don't want to say anything before confirming it, but I think...I think I might have an idea about where that black piece of thread came from" I got up, almost falling forward in my haste "We have to check Theo's luggage".

Lorcan pointed, somewhat absentmindedly, towards a brown suitcase stowed away in a corner. On top of the suitcase was a small bag, a green sweater, and a brown scarf. I could feel my heart sink and settle somewhere around my navel.

I asked Lorcan, my voice almost a whisper "Was he wearing anything black today? _Anything_ at all?". And as Lorcan shook his head, I felt my absolute last hope slide away. My best friend was no longer in danger of being the primary suspect, because once the others found out about this, my cousin was going to take her place.

But...but was I _absolutely_ sure about this?

I looked at Dom, who was still looking worried for me. From behind her, Albus said "You said you might know where the thread came from, and since we seem to have run out of any options here, maybe you would like to share…?" he trailed off uncertainly as he looked at the expression on my face.

"I am going to need proof first" I said "Dom, I need to write on the parchment".

"Wait a minute" said Fred "I get that you don't want to tell us unless you have absolutely confirmed whatever it is that you have to confirm, but what are you going to write? I think we at least deserve to know that much because there is a chance you are compromising evidence".

I took a deep breath "You have a fair point, I will concede that. The very least I can do is tell you what I am going to write. I am going to put down 'I am not dead'".

"And what do you suppose that will accomplish?" asked Rose.

"Well, if the parchment is indeed being used for communication then this message will be received by someone else. If it is the killer, then he or she will panic and most likely make some sort of mistake. If the person on the receiving end is not the killer, and is present on this train or in this carriage, there will be some sort of response to that message and at least we will know what its origins are, and whether or not we can dismiss it as a clue relevant to this investigation".

There was a short silence as everyone looked at me or at each other.

"Look, I know that it is a bit of a long shot, but I really don't think we have enough time left for any more elaborate planning. We have a little more than four hours left and-"

"I think it is a good idea" interrupted James.

"I know but - wait. What?" I asked, astounded.

"I think it is pretty good as well, given what resources we have right now" Fred nodded along.

When no one in the group objected to James' and Fred's approval, I was taken aback for a few seconds, before I gathered my wits and said "Right. Okay. Err...we will need to go out into the corridor for this though, so we can see any immediate reactions, such as someone rushing out of their compartments or something".

"But" interjected Alice "How do we know that it is not one of us, and that by discussing this in front of everyone, we haven't jeopardized the plan already?"

"We don't" I said, walking towards the door and pulling it open "But seeing as we have already discussed all our evidence with each other, this cannot make the situation any worse than it already is".

I walked out, and the first thing I noticed was that Charlie wasn't anywhere to be seen. He was either in another compartment (most likely the one at the very end which had mine, Dom's and Noah's luggage) or in the washroom.

Dom, who was right behind me pulled out the blank piece of parchment and a quill from betwixt the various odds and ends that always lined her pockets. I gestured at her to let her know that she could go ahead and write the message herself.

As she put her quill to the paper, I could hear my heart thundering loudly. I felt, rather than knew, what was coming.

Intuition is a very powerful thing.

The ink sunk into the parchment, leaving a faint brown shadow behind that slowly disappeared. And the moment it was gone, the door to the compartment furthest from the washroom was flung open and Charlie ran out with a piece of parchment in his hand, almost tripping over himself.

A man blind to everything but what he was seeking, he almost ran straight past us - but then his eyes fell on the parchment in Dom's hand, and he stopped short.

James stepped forward, and Charlie stuttered, looking crushed "Where did you lot get that piece of parchment?".

"I think the real question here is what _you_ were doing with its second half."

"I...I can explain-"

"Can you, though?"

"You see, Theo and I used it to communicate over the summer about Quidditch plays and plans-"

"Charlie" I interrupted, looking him straight in the face "I know".

"Know what?" he asked.

"Everything. I know everything. About Theo".

A shocked expression crossed his face, and then turned unreadable.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Robin".

"You do" I refused to move from my ground "You know exactly what I am talking about. I have known about Theo for two years. He told me not to tell anyone, and I did not break his confidence. And even you did not realize that I knew about him all along."

Charlie had gone silent, his features overshadowed by grief. The silence behind me was deafening, as everyone in the group looked on and wondered what was happening and what I was talking about.

"I should have realized sooner" I confessed in a whisper "I thought I was good at observing people, but clearly not. Somehow, I managed to miss this when it was right under my nose".

"Stop" said Rose from behind me "I don't understand what is happening here. Will someone please explain? Wright, are you telling us that your cousin is lying about the parchment being used for discussing Quidditch plays? I know he hated Jackson but-"

"But that is where you are wrong, Weasley" I said, my eyes not moving from my cousin's face "Charlie did not hate Theo. He loved him."

**_A/N: As always, please leave a review and let me know what you think about the characters and the story!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling - and anything you do not, belongs to me.**

_"But love is blind, and lovers cannot see". _

_\- The Merchant of Venice (Act III, Scene I)._

"...Loved him?" came Rose's incredulous voice, breaking the suffocating silence around us.

Without moving his eyes from my face, Charlie replied "Do you have something to say, Weasley?".

"Yes. Is it true?".

"What is it to you?" his eyes narrowed as his posture stiffened even further.

"We are conducting a murder investigation here, Charlie" I replied to his question aimed at Rose "And I am sure that you, more than anyone, realise the gravity of the situation".

"That does not give you the right to infringe on my privacy!" he fumed.

"Do you think I want to? I understand that you might not have been ready to tell everyone just yet and I have just forcefully yanked you out of the closet - but I had absolutely no choice here!" I yelled back with everyone watching "Theo has just been murdered, and with this, you are now the primary suspect!"

"Do you think I care?! Do you think I give a _bloody damn_ about being the _fucking primary suspect_ of your _stupid _detective game when Theo is fucking DEAD?" and his shout came out choked, leaving his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Charlie" I struggled, wanting to console him - really, wanting to do anything else than what I had to in order to quell the rising tide of suspicion that I could feel looming behind me - "Did you...did you kill Theo?".

"If that is what you want to believe, go ahead" he said with a mixture of both, defiance and resignation. And once again, I saw myself reflected in him. Had I not had the same response whenever someone blamed or confronted me for my actions last year? I shut them out and let them believe the worst about me, not even defending myself. Of course, what I had gone through could not even hold a candle to what Charlie was going through right now. He looked like a broken man.

I lowered my voice, but my words carried clearly over the murmurs that had broken out at his last statement "I will believe what you tell me to".

He grew quiet at that, and a tear slipped through at last - meandering its way down the side of his nose.

"No" he said at last, his voice breaking. And really, that was all _I_ needed.

I rushed forward and hugged him, wrapping my arms around his middle and trying to console this giant of a man whose chin the top of my head could barely reach. I could feel the silent sobs wracking Charlie's body as he finally abandoned his mask and let himself grieve with the intensity that his relationship with Theo warranted.

I slowly, but steadily, ushered him back to the empty end compartment where he had been sitting previously. He didn't let go of my arm the entire time, as if this physical support was his only anchor, and he would shatter into a million pieces the minute I moved away.

There were a few more hushed murmurs as the two of us finally sat down, and Rose's voice broke out again. She was trying to be mindful of my cousin's misery as much as she could given the situation we were in, and I tried to be thankful for that.

It was very hard.

"If you loved Jackson then why were you dating Miller?"

Charlie simply cried harder, and I tried not to wince as he nearly crushed my bones "Because I was a fool! I couldn't accept that I...that I liked..._men_. Mary was nice and pretty, and I thought that maybe if I just gave it a chance that I could stop thinking about _him_. But of course" he ground out with both, frustration and sadness "Of course it did not work. He was in half my classes, and I could not even escape him on the Quidditch pitch because _of course,_ he was a bloody good player on top of everything else. And then Professor Longbottom had to give us detention because we would not stop arguing in class, but then we started right up in the middle of scrubbing out cauldrons again, and I just...I don't know - _lost it_ and...and _kissed_ him."

"But that was not the end of it, was it?" asked Scorpius softly, pushing his way past Albus and Fred to the front of the throng.

He shook his head "I-_we_...couldn't stop after that. Everytime we saw each other, we would either end up arguing or snogging. Sometimes both. And then we started using parchments just so we could meet up in secret around the school. But just before summer rolled around, I...I blurted out that I _loved him_."

There was a silence, as everyone gauged the panic and anxiety lacing his words. When no one else said anything, I opened my mouth to gently prompt him:

"And that scared you?"

"_Yes_" he said emphatically, desperate for someone to understand "I could not even admit it to my own self, but I just _said it_ to him, without anyone asking or forcing me. I...I couldn't stand it. Theo was much, much braver than me. He hadn't told anyone, but at least he was not afraid of admitting it to himself. Me? I was a coward. I ran away and refused to acknowledge him for weeks until we fought again just before the Quidditch match".

"The one in late May against us Gryffindors?" questioned James.

Charlie nodded "He was angry that I had said something like that, and then just ignored him - and he was right to be angry, but...but I did not know what to do with myself after that. We fought before the match, and then during the match as I am sure you all remember". Everyone nodded at that - it would be a difficult feat indeed to forget Ravenclaw's worst defeat in a decade, all because the Captain of the team was yelling at, and being yelled at, by his own Chaser.

"We never made up after the match, and neither he nor I brought up what I had said that day, but we could not stop ourselves from meeting up again. He never said anything about me dating Mary, but I guess when I turned up at the station today morning with her, and then tried to kiss him, it was just too much. I did not want to hurt him, but like always, I did. When he walked into the compartment later, and said that, unlike me, he had better things to keep him busy over the summer apart from Quidditch and Mary, I lost it and yelled. And he shouted back some more. I don't even remember _what_ we said anymore - it feels so stupid now that he is _gone_" Charlie ended his story with a horrendously choked voice, moving his face towards the window, clearly done talking for some time and silently seeking privacy to mourn.

My heart squeezed painfully, but I realized that my cousin _needed_ this solitude. I looked in askance at the rest, silently begging them to leave Charlie be for now as I finally moved away from him and towards the door. Although some were clearly hesitant to leave the inquiry on that note, I was thankful to see that no one questioned my decision to leave Charlie alone.

We all silently moved back towards the compartment at the other end of the corridor. Even the most boisterous of the group, it seemed, had been struck silent by the sombre atmosphere of grieving. The misery hanging in the air was palpable. This investigation wasn't simply a matter of curiosity, and the person who had been murdered was not a stranger. _I_ had known that, and so did most other Ravenclaws to whom Theodore Jackson had been more than an acquaintance - but it seems that it was just dawning on the others.

"How did you know?" were the first words as soon as we had all settled back into the compartment, and I looked up to see Albus staring at me "How did you know that Jackson was gay? According to your cousin just now, he had not told anyone".

I sighed. This was not the time to say 'No comment'.

"As far as my cousin was aware, Theo indeed had _not_ told anyone. I found out accidentally when I was sneaking around after curfew in fifth year. I was following up on a story about the best pranks performed in Hogwarts' history because it was bound to be a popular read, and was trying to sneak into Filch's office to look at detention records".

"After curfew? That is like entering the lion's den when he is the most hungry" said James incredulously.

"_Au contraire_" I said "It is the best time to enter the lion's den, because then he is sure to be away and hunting. Dom's idea".

Dom nodded and added "Filch would be sure to be on the prowl around the castle after curfew and looking for students breaking the rules. The last place he would expect a student to sneak in is his own office. Of course, those of us who have maps and do not, therefore, need to use their critical thinking skills would not know how to reason that out".

She was still a little unhappy with James, it seemed, and was not afraid to let him know.

Albus motioned at me to continue with my story, looking intrigued.

"The Astronomy tower is on the way from the Ravenclaw common room to the staircase that leads to Filch's office, and as I was passing it, I heard someone's voice coming down the staircase, so I decided to take a little detour and see who it was an what they were doing. _What?_" I looked at the raised eyebrows of James, Rose and Fred who, not being part of _A Witching_ or being close friends with someone who was, appeared scandalized by my methods of getting to gossip.

Albus did not seem fazed in the slightest, clearly having seen Scorpius sneak out of the dorms past curfew multiple times.

"It's not like I _use_ any of the information I gather" I protested weakly "I just don't like passing up on an opportunity to know more".

"_Ravenclaws_" Rose rolled her eyes at me, and was met with Dom's glare.

Fred, who looked like he was going to laugh at any moment, made a gesture with his hand and asked me to continue.

"Err...anyway. I walked up the stairs and found Theo and Mark Pucey-"

"The Captain of the Slytherins?" interrupted James, referring to the Slytherin Captain and Head Boy who had graduated two years ago, and who had come out of the closet of his own volition, to the jeers of several people, and the applause of many more. I nodded.

"I found the two together, and it seems I wasn't quite as sneaky as I thought I was-"

Both Alice and Scorpius snorted, having already witnessed, first-hand, my severe lack of brain-limb coordination during our combined midnight missions. I shot them a glare.

"Because they saw me. Now obviously Mark did not have a problem with it, but Theo was not ready to tell the entire school yet, and I promised I would not tell anyone. I avoided it even after the murder today - and I am sorry for that, but I had given him my word and did not want to break it - but when I realized that it was possible he and Charlie were involved, I couldn't just keep quiet about it anymore because it had a bearing on his own murder. _Of course_, now it looks like I was wrong and I have just exposed Theo's secret without cause-"

"Stop beating yourself up over it" said Dom "It wasn't your fault, and if he were alive, Theo would have supported your decision as well. After all, it was done with the purpose of finding out who killed him".

"But" asked Alice, seemingly continuing Albus' line of inquiry "How _did_ you realize that Theodore and Charles were involved?"

"Was it something he said?" questioned Rose, clearly trying to recollect Charlie's words during the interrogation in the Claws' compartment.

"No, actually. It occurred to me when he stood up to leave the compartment, saying that he needed some fresh air".

Everyone looked at me, confused, until Noah, who had seemingly figured out the meaning of my obscure statement, nodded and looked at me with respecting approval as he said "His height".

I nodded back at him with a small smile "Exactly. _His height._ Do you remember me mentioning that the black thread on Theo's shoulder could only have come from something that he was previously wearing, or from someone who was tall enough to reach that point of his body? And the thread was on the front of his body, which made it very unlikely that it would be from the killer. Once I took Theo's sexuality into account, I realized that it was possible that the thread was from a man whom he was seeing. And though most men in this carriage could have reached Theo's shoulders, only Lysander and Charlie had worn their school robes by the time Theo was killed. In fact, Charlie had arrived earlier than usual and was already wearing his robes when I met him and Mary on the platform".

I paused for a minute before adding "Of course, the thread could have come from another article of clothing, like the scarf Potter is wearing right now, but as far as I know, Potter is straight".

Fred smirked and said "Of course, _you_ would know" and James smacked him over the head once again, with Rose looking on and rolling her eyes at her cousins' antics as she said "Seriously? Now is not the time for this, you two".

I ignored the heat around my neck and ears as I continued "But then I remembered Charlie's face after his and Theo's argument, and his terrible condition when we went in to interrogate him and Lorcan. The whole thing seemed rather odd at first, but made complete sense when I saw it in the light of Charlie and Theo having a romantic relationship. Suddenly, all of those petty fights between the two of them made sense as well".

Scorpius' eyes lit up as he fitted in another piece of the puzzle "And Charles _did_ mention that he tried to kiss to Theodore on the platform today morning. He could have easily left that piece of thread then."

"So along with the parchment, that is all the evidence accounted for" said James with a frown, realizing the problem with this at the same time as I did.

I nodded and muttered "Yes. We are back to square one, it seems. Less than three hours, and no leads left".

There was a few minutes' silence and then Alice said with some confidence "No".

We all looked quizzically at her and Fred voiced the question on all of our minds "No what?"

"I think we still have a lead".

I found myself moving to the edge of my seat in anticipation "What lead are you talking about?".

"Think about it" she addressed all of us "If Robin could walk in on Mark's and Theodore's secret rendezvous, what is to stop anyone else from walking in on Charles' and Theodore's either?".

I pondered the wisdom of Alice's words "That is true, but then what you are saying is that this could be a hate crime, which does not fit with the way Theo was killed. A hate crime would be more violent and obvious. The killer would leave a clear message as to why they killed Theo, not leaving everyone grasping at straws and trying to figure out why he was murdered. Remember those two incidents with the Chamber of Secrets? Every time the Chamber was opened, no ambiguity was left as to who was being targeted and why. Killers like that do not hide their motives. In fact, they advertise because they _want_ others to take notice of their reason".

There was another silence, and then "But what if the person who saw the two of them together had another reason to kill Jackson?" asked Albus, who looked like he had just been struck by lightning.

I frowned as I tried to parse through his words "What do you me-oh!"

Apart from homophobia, there was only one other reasonable answer for killing Theo on discovering him and Charlie together. And the one person who would be most likely to have that motive was in this very carriage.

It looked like the same thought had struck both Noah and Rose at the same time, because Noah's eyes widened in realization while Rose's jaw dropped open.

Jealousy.

Of course, _Mary._

_**A/N: Were you expecting that? Leave a review and let me know!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling - and anything you do not, belongs to me.**

_"I will speak daggers to her, but use none". _

_\- Hamlet (Act III, Scene II). _

"Mary" said Rose aloud in response to everyone's confused faces "She has been going out with Wright for a couple of months now. If she really did discover him with Jackson, that would give her a motive for the murder".

"And" tacked on Dom, now nodding her head in understanding "That would also explain why Theo was the only one attacked. If this was a hate crime, then it is likely that both Charlie and Theo would have been targeted".

"Of course though, it could have been more of a crime of opportunity" I interjected "Theo was standing in an empty corridor, while Charlie was inside the compartment with Lorcan. It would have been easy to sneak out, and then back in. Alice" I turned to face her "Did Mary leave the compartment sometime" I consulted the timeline I had drawn up "between 11:25 a.m. and 11:30 - give or take a few minutes?"

She looked sheepish "Err...to be quite frank, I did not really notice. Mary has a habit of talking _at_ people rather than to them when she is rambling, and since Lys and I were playing Exploding Snap, we kind of just...tuned her out, I guess? I only looked up when I heard Dominique's scream" she paused, hesitantly "Are you sure Mary did this though? She isn't...she isn't all that bad a person, you know…" Alice trailed off unsurely.

"Well, I mean-" Rose started, but was cut off by Noah who was looking curiously at Alice.

"What do you mean she isn't all _that_ bad a person?"

I replayed Alice's words back to myself, and realized that I had failed to notice the weird inflection in her voice. Alice looked more than a little uncomfortable as the next words came tumbling out of her mouth:

"_Well_, Mary has done some questionable stuff before...but, I mean, to think that she would go as far as murder is a little…"

"What questionable stuff?" asked James.

"When she had a crush on Pierce Dayton in fifth year and he was going out with Clara King, I found her with Clara in an empty corridor between classes...and she _did_ say that it was simply some good-natured heckling, but I guess I should have questioned it because there had been some rumours before - but she was my roommate, and I think...I think it was more that I _wanted_ to believe her. But" she looked up at us, biting her bottom lip and looking uncertain "Do you really think Mary killed Theodore?".

"I think" said Scorpius grimly "That because bullying kept the girls at bay for so long, she did not have to resort to other measures. She must have realized that keeping Theodore at bay will not make Charles love her, even if she could manage to intimidate him like she had with others. If the rumours you are speaking of are any indication, then Miller had no qualms in taking out her frustration on anyone who got in her way. It is possible she attacked Theodore in blind rage".

"But" interjected Dom "How can we be sure that Mary had reason to kill Theo? I mean, our whole arguments rests on the premise that she supposedly walked in on the two of them and found out they were romantically involved".

I opened my mouth to say something, when

"I don't see _you_ proposing any new ideas or suspects. Why are you so eager to poke a hole in others' theories?"

I sighed. Apparently Rose had exhausted those gems of non-hostility she had stored somewhere in her repertoire.

Dom did not hold back, sneering as she said "Because disproving a theory is a step closer to the truth. It is basic logic. You should know - after all, you are Aunt Hermione's daughter".

_"What is that supposed to mean?"_ I had never seen Rose look so angry. It seemed that Dom's statement had struck a nerve. The two had stood up and stood facing each other like opponents at the opposite ends of a boxing ring.

I hoped to Merlin that this wasn't going to come to fisticuffs. I was rather pathetic at physical fights, and Rose looked like she packed quite a punch. I would be knocked out with a black eye before I could even declare my intention to protect Dom's honour.

Me, and all the other people in the compartment looked highly uncomfortable. It was like going over to your friend's house and getting caught in a screaming match between them and their parents. In those situations, I preferred to simply (and forcefully) admire the interior of the house. Of course, there was no interior here to speak of that was not already covered with a patchwork quilt of flabbergasted Hogwarts students doing their best to avert their eyes from the fight in front of them.

James, it seemed, had chosen to rest his eyes on me. I made a moment of hesitant eye-contact before choosing to look at Fred's shocked face instead. He looked like he did not know whether to snap a picture or run for cover.

I think I just saw him steal a longing look at the window.

"It means what you think it means! You are Aunt Hermione's daughter, are you not?"

"So just because I am her daughter means that I am expected to have the exact same brains?! You are Aunt Fleur's daughter and Victoire's sister, but you don't seem to have an ounce of their grace, do you?"

_Oh shit_. This argument had gotten really ugly, really fast. I tried to jump in and defend Dom but-

"No, it's okay Robin. I think you should stay out of this. This is between me and my _dear cousin_ who clearly has a bone to pick with me".

Fred squeaked "If this is between the two of you, can you please take this outside? I am feeling more than a little threatened in this hostile atmosphere".

Dom and Rose ignored him as they turned back to each other.

"Go on then" hissed Dom "You were comparing me to Vicky? Let me help you out there. She is beautiful, graceful, kind, smart and successful. I am more of a vicious beast, yes. Do I give a damn? No. Do you have anything else to add?" she dared Rose with narrowed eyes.

"You think that is the end of it?" Rose took up the thread of the argument again, her face steadily turning a shade of red that I did not believe was possible for a human "You are part Veela! It doesn't matter that I am just as smart as you, because you just have to flip your hair to have things handed to you on a platter!"

_"Handed on a platter?"_ the look on Dom's face was venomous "Do you know how hard I work to get my grades? How much I practice to stay on the Quidditch team? No! All everyone sees when they look at me is 'Victoire's vicious little sister' or 'that pretty blonde' - that is all I am to everyone! _Of course_ I have never had to lift a finger to get what I want because I am _pretty_ and everything gets handed to me on a _bloody platter!"_ her chest was heaving at the end of this tirade with the deep lungfuls of air she was gulping in.

Rose continued, her voice ice-cold "So I cannot pit you against your sister without being unfair, but you can pit me against my mother, when I am well aware that I cannot compare?"

Dom frowned at that, having calmed down just a smidge after shouting as much as she just had "What do you mean you do not compare? _Who told you that? _You get excellent grades, are a Prefect, and even play Keeper on the Quidditch team. Aunt Hermione can't get two feet in the air before screaming for someone to put her out of her misery already".

Well, what do you know - _family, huh?_

You insult each other all the time, but cannot stand it when someone else does.

Secretly, I was glad that Dom was giving her 'don't be self-deprecating' lecture to another audience. _Someone_ should know what she makes me suffer through just because she loves me so much.

"That is nothing compared to Mom's achievements! She was the 'brightest witch of her generation' for Merlin's sake!"

"Yeah well, Merlin can go choke on his soggy socks for all I care. Just because your Mom did some stuff, doesn't mean you have to go and do the exact same thing! _You are not your Mom._" Dom paused and looked at me "Just like I am not my sister. Robin taught me that" we smiled at each other before she turned back to face her cousin "_Of course_ people are going to compare us to our parents and siblings. We are the generation that came after the war veterans, not to mention the fact that we are _famous_ because of our family. People are going to talk _because that is what people do_. It is up to us to prove our worth to them, just like our parents had to do".

There was a few seconds silence and then Dom said, a little more quietly "It has been some time since I have stopped caring about people comparing me to Vicky. I love my sister, _but I am not her_. I do not _need_ to be her just to get people's approval because people who care about that sort of stuff don't matter to me, and people who don't care, do" Dom took a step closer to Rose "And do _not _think for _one second_ that I get everything handed to me on a platter. I have to work hard to get people to look past my face and Veela genes and see me as my own person, just like you have to work to get people to look past your parentage. You can't give up on making your own identity just because someone says you are lesser than your mother. You get back up and spit in their face, _like a true Weasley"_.

Rose had quietened down, and there were a few seconds of bated breath as everyone in the compartment looked from one cousin to the other in anxious anticipation. The lot of us were so dramatic, _honestly_. Fred and James were even sharing a tub of popcorn which someone must have conjured up out of somewhere. Scorpius tried to sneak in a hand to grab a few kernels, only to get his fingers slapped away by James, whose eyes were still glued to the scene before him.

Then Rose attacked Dom with a hug, and there were sighs of relief all around. I am almost certain I saw Alice wipe a tear away from Albus' cheeks. I will admit I gave a little sniffle as well.

Who knew a mom-style lecture was all it would take for Rose to put aside all their differences and embrace Dom, both literally and figuratively. It seemed like a badly-written scene from an over-the-top telenovela, but hey, I wasn't going to question it.

Dom was getting pretty darn good at those speeches of hers. Not that I was going to tell her that - it would only encourage her more.

"Err...not to interrupt this beautiful moment or anything" said James, cowering under the combined glare of Rose and Dom who, it appeared, had been reunited in cousinly bliss "But isn't it time for us to add some plot progress to this chapter and actually figure out what to do next?"

Everyone nodded or murmured in agreement as Dom and Rose conceded to the wisdom of James' words and sat down again.

Everyone turned to James, and when he did not say anything, Fred nudged him with his elbow and asked _"So?"._

"So what?" he appeared confused, and Albus and Scorpius rolled their eyes at him.

"So what is your plan? I am assuming you have one since you spoke up and interrupted mine and Nicky's moment" said Rose gruffly, crossing her arms and glaring at her cousin.

She wasn't all that bad, I guess. And besides, now that she had abandoned her hostility towards Dom after that over-dramatic fight, I was feeling rather kindly towards her. I was suddenly inclined to look at her prickly attitude as rather endearing - just a smidge reminiscent of a defensive hedgehog.

"Ehmmm...well I was thinking that-"

"Oh, you can think? _Isn't that a surprise?"_ said Dom, her voice biting as Rose sniggered. Wow, once you looked past the thick haze of anger, these two really were quite alike. Also, Dom _still_ hadn't forgiven James for his outburst at me all those hours ago. I knew I was supposed to be mad at him as well, but looking at his downcast face, I could not help but come to his rescue.

I placed a hand on Dom's arm to ask her to stop, and she turned to me surprised, before giving me a once-over in contemplation, and then shrugging acceptingly as I turned and said:

"Please continue, James".

Rose looked like she was biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling as James went a bit red at Fred's "_Ooh_...it's _James_ now, is it? Not just _Potter_ anymore then?".

"Shut up, Fred" both James and I said at the same time, and everyone in the compartment looked amusedly at the two of us. Even Noah raised a single eyebrow in my direction, looking vaguely similar to Spock. He even had the whole 'smart, silent and sarcastic' thing down pat.

"Right. Well" James once again ruffled the back of his hair " Like Albus said at the very beginning, we are going to need a full confession in front of several witnesses in order to avoid an in-depth investigation from the Auror department which will most likely get ours and our families' names dragged through the mud".

"No fear of that here" said Scorpius lightly, and Rose shot him a curious look through the side of her eyes, clearly unable to determine whether or not he had just _joked_ about his family's past. It was my turn to bite the inside of my cheek - Scorpius got quite a kick out of making people awkward and uncomfortable by bringing up his esteemed ancestors in wake of the politically-correct dialogue that was being propagated by Minister Shacklebolt nowadays.

"_Ahem._ That being said" continued James, looking sufficiently uncomfortable "We need to assume that Miller is smart enough to not confess when directly confronted, because we cannot risk questioning and thus alerting her. We need to set up a trap which will make her tell us everything herself".

"And how do we do that?" asked Albus, turning in his seat to face his brother.

"Well, we could booby-trap the place outside her compartment and when she comes out, we could force her into telling us by threatening to leave her the-"

_"Oh, James"_ sighed Rose as Dom and Scorpius face-palmed themselves so hard I could probably get their fingerprints off of their foreheads.

"Brother, I think you had better stick to Quidditch plays. You are absolute rubbish at planning anything else" said Albus, rolling his eyes "They _do_ check the train to see if any student has been left behind, you know. Miller would be freed in an instant".

James pouted "I was going to add that we put the invisibility cloak over her and _silencio_ her as well, but when do you lot ever give me an opportunity to finish? I am the oldest in this compartment, and I don't think I deserve to get bullied!" he finished with some amount of righteous indignation, and I had to stop myself from giggling at his antics because I was still supposed to be _upset with him. _

Merlin. When had I turned into the giggling sort?

"You are _not_ the oldest in this compartment though. Noah is" said Dom, and James looked over at Noah to see him casually wave in acknowledgment.

"Oh. Right" he said, his comic anger losing steadily losing steam.

"Anyway, as good as that idea is" everyone looked at me incredulously, except for James who appeared slightly mollified "I don't think it will be enough to get Mary to confess. If I were in her place, I would much rather be stuck mute and invisible on a train and forced to arrive late to school, than confess to murder".

"I think" said Scorpius "that the best way to get her to confess would be to exploit her biggest weakness".

"Charlie?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Huh? Oh yes, well...I suppose he is her weakness as well. For the moment, anyway. _I _was talking about her _anger._ If the rumours Alice heard about her are true, then Miller's anger is no joke. We can exploit that".

"Malfoy is correct" Rose nodded, and it was her turn to be looked incredulously at "I know that _I _lose all sense of my surroundings when I am mad. Most people do, in fact. We just have to set up a situation that both, makes her blind with rage, and gets her to confess. _What?_ It sounded like a decent enough idea in my head."

"Oh, it is" I agreed with a small smirk "It is a good premise upon which to build a plan, but I think we _all _are just a _little_ more interested in the fact that you just agreed with Scorpius". Rose appeared frazzled as she just realized that she indeed_ had_ just agreed with the boy sitting and smirking next to her, and I was glad to finally get some of the heat off of me and James.

"Indeed. Thank you for pointing that out Robin. I must admit, I am _quite_ flattered Weasley" Scorpius grinned down at a red-faced Rose, like a cat who had caught a canary and did not plan to let go of his entertainment anytime soon. Even James' glare could not deter him.

Albus, on the other hand, looked like he was having a field day observing the two.

"Everyone" spoke up Alice who had been unusually quiet all this while "I think I may have a plan".

_**A/N: A bit of a filler chapter there, I suppose - but don't worry, because the next one gets right back to the nitty-gritty details. Leave behind a review and let me know what you think of the story and the characters!**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling - and anything you do not, belongs to me.**

_"The game is up." _

_\- Cymbeline (Act III, Scene III)._

"It's not like James' is it?" asked Rose skeptically.

_"Oh, no"_ replied Alice, quite cheerfully for someone planning to catch a murderer "This one will work".

"Hey!" protested James, only to be ignored by everyone.

Alice continued "Scorpius says that anger is Miller's weakness, and Robin says that it is Charles. _I say_ that we combine the two".

"Get her angry at Charles?" I asked quizzically.

"No. That would be quite a hard feat to accomplish. I mean, if she went so far as to murder Theodore in order to keep him away from Charles, she has to be quite obsessed with your cousin. I doubt it is going to be easy to get her angry at him. No. I was thinking something more along the lines of introducing another rival for Charles' affections."

Rose's eyes widened and she nodded slowly as she caught on to Alice's idea "That should get her pretty mad".

_"Exactly"_ said Alice "Having _just_ got rid of Theodore, she will not be expecting another burr in her side so soon. It ought to get her blood boiling enough for her to slip up and either say or do something."

"But" pitched in Dom "Won't it make her suspicious? After all, like you just said, she will not be expecting another rival so soon".

"I guess that is a risk that we are just going to have to take. We are cutting it quite close, with a little less than two hours left" Alice shrugged.

"I think" I pitched in "It will work. Mary just committed murder out of desperation. She is bound to be overly paranoid at the moment, and I doubt she will bother reasoning when faced with another threat of a similar kind. But" I looked at Alice "We are going to have to tell Charlie beforehand, because he is not going to take kindly to someone hitting on him in his state".

James spoke up "I suppose we can just send him a Patronus with the message, letting him know who is the bait. We do not want to have Miller get suspicious at seeing the lot of us coming and going to his compartment. _Although_, I suppose Robin _could_ go, seeing as she is his cousin and probably won't rouse suspicion."

I nodded, suppressing the odd swooping feeling in my tummy at hearing him call me by my first name after all these months by telling myself that he was just doing it out of the sense of camaraderie that came with conducting a murder investigation together. But as I moved to get up, Scorpius shook his head.

"No" he said "It is going to take time to convince Charles to get on board with the idea, even with Robin doing the convincing - time we don't have. And to add to that, he already feels guilty enough about Theodore's death without us trying to convince him to get involved in a plan that involves someone flirting with him in order to catch the murderer, who just so happens to be _his girlfriend slash gay beard_ who is _obsessed_ with him. _I say_ that we simply send him a Patronus with a short warning message about what, _or rather who_, is coming his way without telling him who we are laying the trap for. This does not give him the opportunity or time to protest or back out."

James nodded "Alright, makes sense - but _who_ exactly are we going to send his way?" he asked the compartment at large.

Rose cleared her throat "Personally, I would recommend Fred".

We all swivelled our heads around to stare at the boy who held the title of the school joker, and who had retreated so far into the back of his seat that it looked like he was attempting to become one with it.

"Why me?!" he protested loudly.

"Because no other person in this compartment can do it, and we cannot risk involving anyone else" replied Rose calmly "Us girls are not going to cut it _for obvious reasons_. As for the boys, well...the entire school seems to be aware that Al is half in love with Zabini, except for the girl herself; Jones is dating Nicky and I am sorry to say, he does not look like the acting type anyway; James and Wright have some weird tension that I _really_ don't want to get in the middle of, and Malfoy" she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes "Looks like he would get some sort of perverse joy out of having to hit on a man".

Scorpius laughed out loud while I found myself steadily turning the colour of a tomato, accompanied by Albus and James. Noah did not look offended in the least.

_Merlin,_ was Rose outspoken. It was refreshing when her topic of conversation was not you. Scorpius, it appeared, was one of the few who were rather amused by her brash honesty.

_This boy._ I shook my head, bemused.

"Don't tell me your masculine ego is bruised at the idea of having to flirt with a man" said Dom to Fred "It's just a bit of acting-"

"Oh, I know" said a profusely sweating Fred "That is not what is troubling me".

"Then what has got you so worried?" asked James from beside him.

"Well, I don't know if you have noticed mate, but the last man to hit on Wright did not exactly enjoy the consequences".

James laughed "You are afraid Miller is going to kill you?" and then he paused with doubt in his tone "Actually, that is in the realm of possibility…"

Everyone in the compartment glared at James as a panicked look stole over Fred's face at his words.

"Don't worry, Fred. James is just being a prat and teasing you. It won't come to that, we promise. We will all be standing around with disillusionment charms on us because we need acting witnesses, and won't let her touch a hair on your head" said Dom.

I nodded as I added "And anyway, the more of us at the scene the better. We get more corroborative eye-witness accounts, not to mention memories, if the investigating Auror team decides to use a Pensieve to cross-check. If Mary so much as pulls out her wand, there will be more than enough of us to stupefy her in the span of less than a second".

Fred went quiet, obviously mulling over our words, and then nodded slowly "Fine, since this is a matter of catching a murderer. Just make sure I am not killed or something. I am at the peak of my youth, and much too attractive to die."

Rose and Dom rolled their eyes, while I grinned at him "Agreed. Let us all work to make sure that handsome face stays just the way it is".

James glared at Fred while he shot me a grin and a wink.

"_Ahem._ Now that we are done cajoling Fred" James elbowed him his best friend in the tummy rather harder than the situation warranted "Can someone send a Patronus to Wright so we can finally get this plan going?".

"I will do it" I volunteered "Charlie will recognise it, and it might put him a little more at ease with the entire situation, knowing that the message is coming from me".

Everyone nodded.

_Although_ I had not cast a Patronus since my fifth year, and even then it had been the toughest spell I had ever casted. Could I still do it?

_"No"_ said a voice in my head that sounded just like Isaac.

I pushed it aside with some effort and thought hard about what made me happy.

_My family. The staff of 'A Witching'. _

_Dom and Noah._

And with a memory of me and my friends laughing at something silly in the Ravenclaw common room, I yelled out _"Expecto Patronum!"_. An octopus burst out of the end of my wand and swam through the window like a ghostly spectre, out of sight.

_I still had it_. Take _that_ Isaac Turner.

It was a small thing, but I suddenly felt like I had just stepped out of an enormous shadow that had been looming over me, into the warmth of sunshine.

But there would be time later to revel in my freedom. Right now, I had a greater priority.

I raised my wand again to cast a disillusionment charm on myself, and taking the cue, everyone cast theirs as well - except for James and Rose, who quickly got under the invisibility cloak. Fred took a deep breath and got up, his face somehow transformed, although I couldn't exactly explain how.

There was a quiet confidence in his unhurried pace as he walked over to the compartment door and opened it, and I could not help but pause and marvel a bit at this previously unknown talent for acting that the prankster was now displaying.

_Fred was a natural._

I attempted to leave the compartment, only to bump into someone else who had disillusioned themselves.

"Sorry" I muttered quickly, only to have the said person hook their arm around mine and pull me out of the compartment, whispering in my ear "So, care to share what is going on with you and Potter?"

"This is really not the time, Scorpius" I whispered back, realizing who it was.

He ignored me "Because it is pretty obvious that he still wants to _Slytherin_ to your _Chamber of Secrets_" I could practically _hear_ his smirk, and was thankful that the disillusionment charm hid the furious blush that was undoubtedly blooming on my face.

"Shut up, Scorpius" I whispered back, pinching his arm as hard as I could and hoping that James wasn't anywhere close enough to hear our conversation "_Behave_, or I will not recommend you for editor-in-chief next year".

"So you are resorting to bribery to shut me about you and Potter? _Nice. _I _did_ need someone to do my DADA essays this year. A seventh-year Ravenclaw should fit the bill perfectly".

"I am _serious_" I hissed "Anymore out of that smart mouth of yours, and you are _off_ the recommendation list".

_"Nah"_ he replied casually "You love me, Robin Wright. In fact, I bet my depressing family manor that I am at the top of your list as we speak, and still will be when you hand it over to the Professors later this year".

He was correct on all three counts, but I was not going to admit that. The boy was already far too cocky for his own good. Instead, I tried to deflect by asking him to focus on the mission. I have a strong feeling that he saw right through my diversion tactic.

We were walking on the side of the corridor lined with windows, which was fortunate because if not, Mary would have run right into us as she opened her compartment door.

"I will be back" she spoke to Lysander who was still in the compartment, although her eyes were trained on Fred, whom she had undoubtedly seen walking past her compartment, just like we had intended for her to.

Lysander, whose head we could see behind Mary, waved a lazy hand in acknowledgment as the Mary shut the compartment door, walking behind Fred with stealth.

How was she to know that she had eight pairs of eyes tracking her every move?

I will admit that I had been afraid she would not take the bait. After all, someone casually strolling past her compartment to what was possibly the Slytherin or Ravenclaw compartment did not seem much like a threat.

But Mary, it turns out, had been _quite_ affected by the murder as well, although somewhat differently than Charlie or the rest of us. She appeared jittery and borderline paranoid which, fortunately for us, meant that she had taken the bait.

Fred, who was walking ahead of us, entered the end compartment where Charlie had last been sitting, and Mary followed behind. As did we.

Walking astride Mary, Scorpius and I finally reached the door of the compartment. Mary ducked underneath the glass pane and moved to the other side of the door, placing her back against the wall dividing the compartment and the door to the carriage behind, and peered around the edge of the glass pane that gave a look into the compartment. Scorpius and I, on the other hand, stood across from her and had an unhindered view of Mary, Fred and Charlie.

I had to stop myself from guffawing out loud by stuffing my fist into my mouth. Scorpius too, seemed to be shaking with the effort to control his laughter, although I could not see him.

Charlie looked like he was trying to stop himself from flinging Fred away from him and across the compartment as Fred seductively traced an index finger over Charlie's bicep and looked up at him with what I am sure was meant to be an alluring gaze. I am sure that it was only because of the Patronus I had sent my cousin earlier that Fred had not been hexed yet.

Mary looked _furious._

Bringing his mouth up to Charlie's ear, Fred seemed to say something to him that had Charlie looking down incredulously at him. When it looked like Charlie was going to pull away, I almost let out a sigh of resignation. But then, Fred went and planted a big one right on Charlie's lips.

Charlie went stiff, eyes wide open and looking down at what he could see of Fred's face. Mary seemed _murderous_ (and she probably was, as well) and was gripping her wand so tightly, her knuckles had gone white.

Scorpius, on the other hand, had nearly collapsed with silent laughter. I knew because I was holding onto his arm and actually preventing him from lying down and crying with hilarity, while also casting a non-verbal _Silencio_ on the two of us because I simply could not control myself anymore.

Finally, much to my relief, Fred pulled away from Charlie and walked over to the compartment door, turning around, saying something, and adding a seductive wink for good measure, before pulling open the compartment door.

It felt like it happened in slow motion. While Fred's face was still turned towards Charlie, Mary's face twisted with wrath as she muttered something underneath her breath. It was a spell, as I realized a moment later when a ball appeared in her hand out of thin air, and I realized, with a start, that the murder weapon had never been on the train after all. It had been conjured and then vanished - and we did not realize it when James had given his recollection of performing _Priori Incantatem_ with Mary's wand because of the simple coincidence that James was a pureblood and knew nothing about Muggle sports.

That was no volleyball. Volleyballs did not have three holes carved into them in a triangular shape.

_A bowling ball. _Not heavy enough to crush the skull, but sufficient enough to kill someone.

It seemed like Mary was recycling her murder weapon.

_And why not? It had worked before, had it not?_ I thought grimly.

Fred turned around with a face-splitting grin and walked out of the compartment, his body facing back to the front of the corridor. As soon as he was a few paces away from Charlie's sight, Mary ducked below the glass pane again to avoid being seen by Charlie, and rushed behind Fred with the ball raised at level with his head.

_"Petrificus Totalus!"_ a shout rang out, before either I or Scorpius could move our wands and yell _Stupefy_.

Frozen stiff with the spell, Mary fell forward onto her face and I looked around to see who had cast the spell. I thought we had all agreed on _Stupefy_ back in the compartment, but _Petrificus Totalus_ seemed to work just as well, I suppose.

My eyes fell on Lysander, who had his wand trained on Mary with a blank look, like he was shocked at what he had seen, as well as what he had done.

_Looks like we had one more witness to our party._

The door to the Ravenclaw compartment opened and Lorcan stuck out his head, clearly confused at Lysander's shout, only to see Mary lying on the floor with a bowling ball clutched in her hand, that had twisted from the impact and the awkward position it had been forced into.

_Make that two._

Charlie opened the door to his compartment and looked out as well, astounded at the scene before him. He clearly did not know what to make of it.

_Or three._

It was time to give them some answers, and to get some from Mary Miller.

One by one, we all cast off our disillusionment charms and looked up at the shocked faces of the Charles Wright and the Scamander twins.

_**A/N: Almost there! Just one more chapter to go. Please review and let me know what you think :)**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling - and anything you do not, belongs to me.**

_"For you and I are past our dancing days" ._

_\- Romeo and Juliet (Act I, Scene V)._

"What are you lot doing here?" asked Lysander, confused. He was the only one of the three that hadn't been made aware of the investigation before.

Really, Albus was to thank for the idea of dungbombing the Hufflepuffs, rather than interrogating them upfront. If not for that, Mary would never have fallen for this trap.

"It's a long story, Lys" said Alice, waving to her friend "And will take some time to tell. Why don't you tell us why you are here first though?"

"Oh, erm. I was coming out to talk to Mary actually. It was a matter of some urgency, you see. I had been thinking for some time about the fact that Mary had left to change into her robes just a bit before Theodore was murdered, but that she had returned without changing. It didn't strike me just then because I was engrossed in playing Exploding Snap with Alice, but when it did I realized how odd that was. And then I came out and...and saw Mary with that ball raised and coming after Fred, and I don't know, just put the body-bind curse on her. I wasn't really thinking, but that situation _did not_ look safe".

"Oh, it wasn't" said Dom grimly "You see, Mary was trying to _kill_ Fred".

Fred nodded his head vigorously, putting on a sad face that was meant to garner pity. James acquiesced and patted his best friend on the back with a roll of his eyes.

_"What?!"_ asked Lysander incredulously.

This was followed up by Lorcan's _"But why?"._

Charlie just looked at us, silently flabbergasted.

"Because she saw Fred hit on Charlie" replied Dom.

"And kiss him" added James from beside Fred, who glared daggers at him.

"And wink at him" joined in Rose, much to Fred's consternation.

Lorcan and Lysander stared at Fred, wide-eyed.

"Yes, why _did_ you do that anyway?" asked Charlie with a grimace "The only reason I didn't throw you out of the window was because Robin's Patronus had told me that you were coming, and to play along with whatever you were going to do. Although if I had known that _that_ was what you were going to do…"

"Fred did it to get Mary jealous - although, admittedly, he might have gone a little too far-"

_"I was method acting!"_ protested Fred "And besides, I wasn't sure that simply flirting with him was going to be enough to break her".

"Break her?" asked Lorcan, a quizzical look on his face.

"Get her jealous and angry enough to want to kill Fred" Rose clarified.

"But _why_ did you want her to get jealous? And why _Fred?_ He seems like an odd choice to make Mary jealous - couldn't one of you girls have done it?" asked Lysander, confusion and impatience written all over his face.

All of us, except for the twins, looked at Charlie, who sighed and ran his hands over his face. He looked exhausted and resigned in the light of everything that had happened since this morning "Oh, go on. Tell them. I don't care who knows anymore."

"Alright" said Alice, holding a hand up to stop anyone from saying anything "Let me tell you the entire story, Lysie…"

And so she did.

With every word that came out of her mouth, Lorcan's jaw dropped lower, Lysander's eyes went wider, and Charlie's face became paler.

When Alice finished, there were was a whole minute of silence as everyone looked down at Mary, who was still frozen stiff, but could no doubt hear every word we were saying, because despite the fact that she was face-down in the carpeting, I could see a hateful glint in her eye as she stared at us using her limited peripheral vision.

No one had bothered to make the effort of re-positioning her.

_"Mary?"_ whispered Charlie, and my attention snapped back to him _"Mary_ did this? She...she killed Theo?" he was looking down at Mary's form like he could not believe it.

I walked over to him and held his hand _"I am sorry"_ I said "And I know that you are going to want to - but you cannot beat yourself up over this".

"How can I _not?_ This is my fault. If I had not led Mary on by dating her, then she would not have resorted to such measures".

"No!" I cried out "This is on her, not you. No one in their right mind resorts to _murder_ in this situation. Don't be an idiot and blame yourself for this."

"Robin is right, Charlie" Noah spoke up. No one had really forgotten he was there, but it apparently still jarred those who were not in Ravenclaw whenever he spoke, because they had to look around for the source of the voice when he did.

Charlie looked up at that. It was hard to ignore Noah.

"It is not rational to feel guilt when you are not the one at fault - and you _are not._ Look at the odds - had you dated anyone else, who had also discovered the same thing about you and Theo, do you think they would have reacted in the same way? _Mary_ is the one at fault. _Not you."_

A logical and well-reasoned argument. I looked at Noah gratefully as Charlie seemed to look just a little less miserable. Of course, this was not going to away so fast. It would take time for Charlie to recover from this - but recover he would.

I was going to make sure he did.

"When did Mary see Charlie and Theo together though?" asked Lorcan, confused "It can't have been on the train, because I was with Charlie the entire time, and _I _did not see anything".

"The platform" Charlie spoke up "It _has_ to have been at the platform. She was acting weird, and even started to ask me something several times, only to shut up again - and then Robin came up to us to talk about something, and I guess I just forgot about it. I thought-" he paused "I thought I had been careful, but clearly not".

Patting his arm consolingly was the most I could do at the moment.

"Let us try and question Mary. It is not like we sorely need any more evidence, seeing as we have several eyewitnesses and corroborating memories for the Auror department to check, but a confession will make things even easier" said Dom, thankfully distracting Charlie.

We all looked down at Mary, and I was having an internal debate as to whether or not I even wanted to look at her face, let alone approach her right now. It seemed that all Ravenclaws were thinking the same thing, going by the looks on their faces.

James seemed to have caught on, because he took one long look at me and said "It's okay. I will do it", and proceeded to magically bind Mary's arms and legs before freeing her from the full body-bind.

She immediately started to struggle, rolling about on the floor, but James caught hold of her upper arm and yanked her into an upright position, leaning her back against the wall of the carriage.

It was better treatment that she deserved. I wished he had left her lying on the ground. That way, I could have 'accidentally' walked over her hand or something. Well, it was not like anyone in present company was going to berate me for doing it even now. I could think of quite a few who would not be opposed to joining me, in fact.

Having finally sat her upright, James looked up - only to have her spit in his face.

With a disgusted grimace, he wiped away Mary's spit from his cheek and said aloud with no dearth of sarcasm "Quite the charmer aren't you? Anything you would like to say before the Aurors arrive?"

"I am not saying a word" she hissed at James, turning her venomous glare onto us. She only faltered when her eyes came to rest on Charlie, who turned his gaze away from her with horror and disgust written all over his face, and walked back into the compartment, clearly needing some alone time to come to terms with everything he had just heard.

"Well" shrugged James "I guess that is all the dialogue _she_ gets in this entire story. What do we do now?"

"Now" said Rose grimly "We send a letter to the Ministry and let them know they have an arrest to make".

"We had better send one to Hogwarts ahead of us as well" I added "We are all probably more than enough to take on Mary if she tries anything, but just in case the Aurors arrive late, it would not hurt to have one or two Professors meet us at the station".

"That sounds like a good idea, Wright" said Rose, nodding.

"Robin" I corrected her with a small smile, feeling rather kindly towards the world after my post-patronus epiphany "I think solving a murder together warrants being on a first name basis don't you, Rose?".

She smiled back "I suppose it does, _Robin"_.

"Gosh, you two are too cute!" cooed Scorpius, walking over to us "Murder really brings people together, doesn't it?" Rose scrunched her eyebrows and gave him a weird look "First Weasley and Dom, then Weasley and Robin - what next? Robin and Potter?"

Rose tried to disguise her laugh as a cough and Scorpius looked down at her, amused. I looked up and saw James standing next to us, clearly having heard everything. Fred, who was standing next to him, was wearing a shit-eating-grin as he looked between me and James.

One of these days, Scorpius was _so_ going to die.

Out loud, I just said "Err...well. I better go write that letter. We have about an hour left to get there anyway" and moved quickly down the carriage to the compartment we had been sitting in, and where I had left my quill and parchment.

I tried to quell my blush as I closed the door behind me. There was no point in trying to read into everything that he or the others were saying or doing. Just because I had managed to thrust myself out of Isaac's shadow a tad bit did not mean that I was foolish enough to believe that James' current cordiality and absence of pointed comments was due to anything other than us working on this investigation together.

We had only been united in our effort to save Dom from having to be in the limelight as the primary suspect, and now that the case was solved, there was no reason for James to speak to me anymore, much less forgive me.

The compartment door opened and closed, and I looked up from my quiet rumination to see James.

There were a few beats of silence as the two of us just stared at each other, and then James raised his hand and ran it through his hair, clearing his throat a bit.

I waited silently, not daring to hope that he was here to tell me that he had forgiven me. His face looked a little red, and I wondered if he was feeling hot. The weather _did_ seem unusually hot for September, especially in this compartment. I could feel the back of my ears heating up.

"I owe you an apology, and you owe me an explanation" he said.

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at him quizzically "Don't you mean _I_ owe you an apology?".

"Well, _I_ owe you an apology for accusing you without having heard out your reason for writing that article first. I am sorry, Robin" he looked truly apologetic.

It _was_ too hot for September. What was wrong with the weather?

"Whether or not _you_ owe me an apology" he continued "depends on your reason for writing that article".

Shame burned through me, and I looked down to in order to avoid James' gaze as I said "I...I don't know how much you know about what happened between Isaac and me, but I am sure that his cheating on me isn't really a secret".

James kept silent, clearly trying to be sensitive despite the fact that the entire school knew about that.

"Anyway, I...I am not proud of what I did. I was not in a good place after that. I had become...dependent, I guess? I had become dependent on Isaac for my feeling of self-worth. _I know"_ I looked up at him, protesting before he could say anything _"I know_ that it was not healthy, and I should have seen it coming from a mile away, but I was _stupid._ I did not _want_ to see how dependent I had become on him, or that he was cheating on me. It is rather pathetic, I know-"

"It isn't" James said quietly "There are some people who are skilled at doing that to others, who take joy in tearing down others' self-worth to make them emotionally dependent. You just happened to be the one he chose to use that skill on. Like Jones just told your cousin out there, _this is not your fault"._

"You say that _now_" I said with some trepidation seeping into my voice, like I was setting out to destroy something that I did not want to "But wait till you hear the rest. I wasn't exactly innocent either. I...I tried to use _you_ to get back at Isaac. You were nice to me, and I felt bad - but that did not stop me" I was speaking fast, and it was like trying to rip off a band-aid that I knew would hurt no matter how fast or slow I pulled at it.

I chanced a glance at his face, and quickly looked down at my feet again. James looked pained, and I did not know what else to do but continue with my tale.

I hadn't even told him the worst part yet.

"And then after the Slytherin versus Gryffindor game, while you were celebrating your victory in the Slytherin common room, I saw...I saw some girl flirting with you, and what looked like you flirting back. _I know-"_ I said as he opened his mouth to protest vehemently " that you would never do that. You don't seem like the type of guy that does. But I...you have to understand" I looked up at him pleadingly "I know there is no excuse for what I did, but just looking at the two of you reminded me of Isaac, and I jumped to conclusions. I was not in a reasonable state, and blind to simple reason. I just...I was _angry_ and wasn't thinking straight - just for a few hours - but that was enough for me to write that article. Just my luck, it was the eve of the publication too, and by the time I realized what I had done and rushed to apologize, it was too late. The article reached you before I could." I finished my story with my voice lamely trailing off.

James was silent for a few minutes, looking at me with an expression I could not comprehend, and then said "So you did not actually hate me? You just wrote that article because you assumed I was flirting with someone else?".

I nodded shamefacedly "I know what I did was terrible, and I cannot apologize enough. I ruined everything-"

"I am not too sure about that" James said.

I looked up at him, confused and hopeful "What do you mean? It's not like we can just pretend like we are first years meeting on the train for the first time and build a friendship based off of sharing a compartment for one ride. Not after everything that has happened".

James, to my surprise, grinned at that like it had just given him a brilliant idea.

He held out his hand in introduction and said "James Sirius Potter. Seventh year student, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, and rubbish at Potions. May I share your compartment, Miss -?"

I looked at him for second like he had gone bonkers, and then a smile unfurled slowly on my face as I realized, with a sudden not-altogether-unpleasant flutter in my stomach, that this was his way of forgiving me.

_He had forgiven me._

He was still holding his hand out, I realized with a start. Not hesitant anymore, I reached out and shook it, answering his unasked question.

"Robin Wright, seventh year Ravenclaw, Editor-in-Chief of _A Witching_, and terrible on a broom" he laughed at that "Pleased to meet you James. Have a seat".

And that is how Fred found us, shaking hands and grinning at each other like fools.

Still standing at the threshold of the compartment with the door open, he turned his head to face the rest who were sitting out in the corridor and yelled out "It's done! They have kissed and made up, the two fools!".

My face turned a dark red, and so did James' as we heard loud whoops and cheers from outside. Someone yelled out "And about time too! I was choking on the thick sexual tension!"

_You just wait till I get my hands on you, Scorpius Malfoy._

James smacked Fred over the head, who whined about how he was in a physically abusive relationship with his best friend, before warning me with a straight face that James probably liked it rough, and that I should "watch out".

It was a wonder I did not spontaneously combust with embarrassment then and there.

"We're just friends, you know" I told Dom later, after we had stepped off the train and handed Mary over to the Aurors waiting at the station along with a grim-looking Headmistress McGonagall.

Dom snorted _"Sure._ And I am just searching for chocolate whenever I put my tongue in Noah's mouth".

Noah gave a barely-perceptible smirk at that.

"I am serious" I protested weakly, turning red yet again "We are just friends!"

_"For now"_ she replied smugly as we boarded a carriage.

**_A/N: ...And curtain! What did you think? Any favourite characters? Loose ends that I forgot to tie up? I am considering writing a sequel that starts off where this story ends,_**_** but with Rose and Scorpius as the detectives. Leave me a review and let me know if that is something you would want to read**__._


End file.
